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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24244804">where you plant a rose (a thistle cannot grow)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icarus_is_flying/pseuds/Icarus_is_flying'>Icarus_is_flying</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Better That a Millstone [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Leia Organa, Child Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader Redemption, Darth Vader's A+ parenting, Fluff and Angst, Force Shenanigans, Gen, Secret Garden AU, Skywalker Family Drama, force-sensitive children are strange, the twins are vibing and its going to be Obi-Wan's problem, this is the one where the redemption arc takes off</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:02:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>36,979</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24244804</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icarus_is_flying/pseuds/Icarus_is_flying</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Leia knows exactly who she is--princess, Organa, rebel in training. But when she stumbles onto a strange boy in a hidden garden, their instant connection draws her into a house full of secrets. Secrets Luke is reluctant to share. </p><p>But Leia is determined to hold onto her new friend, and no one is going to stop her. Not her parents, not the watchful gardener, and not Luke's mysterious father who haunts the house even in his absence.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader &amp; Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa &amp; Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader, Leia Organa &amp; Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Luke Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Better That a Millstone [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1750027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>387</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>672</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>favourite fics from a galaxy far far away</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. In the Garden Where I Found You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a continuation of the AU started in Nothing Grows, about seven years later. It won't be necessary to read that story first to understand this one, but it does explain how Luke and Obi-Wan ended up here instead of on Tatooine, and it is much more angsty than I'm planning for this one to be.</p><p>Story Playlist:<br/>Uneven odds - Sleeping at last<br/>Up the Wolves - The Mountain Goats<br/>The Valley  - The Oh hellos<br/>Heirloom - Sleeping At Last<br/>Like the Dawn - The Oh Hellos<br/>The Hand That Feeds - The Crane Wives<br/>Laughter Lines - Bastille</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Giving her tutors the slip was getting too easy. Leia almost felt bad about it, but the history of the Empire was boring and stupid, and she didn’t understand why Mama made her learn it. Leia didn’t have history, and the Empire wasn’t any older than she was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t want to know about the stupid empire. She wanted to know about the Rebellion. She wanted to know secrets, but nobody was sharing, and she was sick of it. So </span>
  <span>Leia veered left, ducking under the security cameras that watched the edge of the Organa royal property. Glancing back over her shoulder, she could just see the house at the crest of the mountain and the other graceful silver buildings around it. </span>
  <span>She’d jumped down from her window without anybody noticing. She’d be such a good spy, and nobody had any idea. If Mama and Papa would just see how good at it she could be, they would have to let her help. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The princess hiked her skirt up to her knees, glad she'd worn her grey leggings today, and jumped off the retaining wall to the dirt path. It ran up to the peak and down to the fancy estates along the river. There was less adventure in the estate district, especially this time of year as they headed into the rainy season, but if she climbed up to the peak, one of the patrols was bound to recognize her and take her home. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That wouldn’t do at all, so she turned toward the river and big houses. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the path, Leia found a good stick and wandered on, tapping rocks and bushes and hedges as she passed them. The houses all had humongous yards and bigger walls, and it took ages to get from one house to the next. People that lived there liked their privacy. All fancy imperials or Alderanni who wanted to be close to the royal house. And that was fine with her. It meant less people to bother her and maybe a secret or two for her to find out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The princess switched to skipping. It was faster, more efficient than walking, and it made her trailing stick tap a nice rhythm on the prickle bush hedge to her left. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She skipped for a long time listening to the slow river and smelling the flowers that bloomed on the hedges. Leia stopped and looked back up the mountain, but home was out of sight. Maybe she could have brought a timepiece. Maybe she should go back. Her tutors would be looking for her. They wouldn’t tell Mama, not while she was working, but Threepio would. </span>
  <span>Stopping, Leia put a hand on top of her head and sighed. That stupid droid had gotten her in trouble a lot. And with Papa at the Senate, Threepio was even more wound up than normal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was getting thirsty, and the sun made the top of her head hot, but Mama had braided her hair that morning, so only the little flyaways stuck to her face. </span>
  <span>But before she could decide whether to go home or stay out longer, the unmistakable thunk of stormtrooper boots came from around the corner. She froze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me again what he did to the speeder.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Re-threaded the fuel lines. Karking fast too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If the Imperials caught her, they’d take her home, and Mama would definitely hear about it. And Papa. If Papa had to call from Coruscant to scold her, she’d never hear about the Rebellion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That can’t be regulation," the trooper said. Closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what I said, but--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She spun around, but the road ran straight. Once they came around the corner, they’d see her running for sure. Her white dress stuck out so much against all the green. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you report it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I reported it. I like this posting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That left one choice. Prickle bush? Or storm troopers? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leia tossed her stick aside and plunged into the hedge. </span>
  <span>It was sharp, and the branches were tight and grown together, and she had to push hard to get all the way in. The branches snapped closed behind her, covering her in foliage. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she held her breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The steady clunk of those awful white boots passed her by.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leia sighed and shifted, but the hedge caught her dress and something ripped. She grabbed at it and caught her hand, then the branches behind her gave way and she tumbled backward. A moment later, the hedge spat her out on her backside, and she squeaked indignantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once she was sure those boots were passed, she got up and took stock. She had fallen into someone’s garden. It was sprawling, looking even bigger on the inside that it had from outside, all carefully maintained, and full of beautiful flowers and trees and shade. A little pond glittered a few meters away, and a fruit tree leaned over the water. Behind it towered the chateau, probably a vacation home for some rich, self-important bureaucrat or a Moff. A not-home Moff since no alarms had gone off and no security droids were swarming her. That would have been embarrassing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her surroundings assessed, Leia looked down at herself. Ugly brown and green streaks stained her dress and leggings at the knees, and her sleeves had torn on the thorns. She hadn’t been scraped too bad though. That was something. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She whipped around, and in the grass sat a young boy with a holobook on his knee. </span>
  <span>He had a sharp, delicate face with eyes too big for it and slightly red as if he had been crying. A lot of blonde hair tumbled over his forehead and almost into his eyes, making his pale, thin face seem smaller. He looked a little ill, but his eyes were bright and fixed sharply on her. “Are you a ghost?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m not.” Leia frowned. There was something strange about him, like the energy in the air right before a storm. She had never seen him before, which was strange since she had to play with all the children of Alderaan’s officials and important visitors when their parents visited her parents. He wore the soft blue and grey clothes of an Alderaani child, but his accent was definitely from Coruscant. But he was so familiar, she must have seen him somewhere before. “Are you a ghost?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stared at her, long and hard, and she started to wonder if he hadn’t heard her question. Then he shook his head, and his hair snapped back and forth. “No. I’m Luke.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leia. Luke who?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just Luke. Leia who?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leia opened her mouth to answer but closed it again. Luke might tell on her. He seemed trustworthy, but that seemed like a rookie mistake to make. “Just Leia. Have we met before?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He frowned and looked at her more closely then stretched a hand out toward her. “Are you sure you’re real?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leia usually hated people touching her, but she didn't shy away, and he stopped before he reached her. She wrinkled her nose. “That’s a weird question. Of course I’m real.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh." Disappointment and relief flickered across his face. "I have such vivid dreams sometimes that I wanted to make sure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s silly.” She stepped closer and grabbed his hand. “See? I’ll pinch you if you want.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled and held her hand in his own that was cool to the touch. She would have thought it was strange, holding hands with a strange boy in a stranger garden, but now she felt like she’d known him forever. They must have met before. Maybe when they were both very little and couldn’t remember. Maybe he was visiting from Coruscant, which meant he was probably some high-ranking imperial's son. That revelation should have made her nervous, but it didn't. </span>
  <span>She frowned. "Why were you crying?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He let go of her hand, and his face folded into a fierce scowl. "I wasn't crying."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes, you were. Your eyes are all red!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Wasn't."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fine, if he was going to like that, let him. Mama said it was good for a princess to know how to change the subject, so Leia nodded to the holobook. “What are you reading, Luke?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His scowl vanished and looked down in surprise like he’d forgotten it. “This? Oh, it’s a droid manual. I’m building one, and my father is going to help when he comes home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your father?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.” </span>
  <span>Luke was very bad at answering questions, and Leia was about to tell him so when he spoke first. “Do you want to see it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She needed to get home. But Luke seemed like a nice boy, and she had never seen a droid being put together. He seemed so excited to be talking to somebody--he seemed lonely. She nodded. “Sure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The inside of the house wasn’t what she’d expected. Usually, the manor houses by the river were open and airy and luxurious—vacation homes or political residences for entertaining the galaxy’s wealthy and important. </span>
  <span>But the halls here were sparse. Nice, but there was little artwork hanging the walls, and what was there was all landscapes or impressionist pieces or the occasional abstract sculpture. </span>
  <span>It looked expensive but like the person doing the decorating hadn’t really known what they liked or what they were doing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was also almost entirely empty. Her house at least had people in it—servants, visitors, droids. It was alive. Here it was just her and Luke’s soft footfalls echoing through the big empty rooms. It would have been spooky if she was alone, but </span>
  <span>Luke led her through the house to the third floor and a suite of rooms. These were more tailored with lots of dark wood and soft green surfaces. On the green walls sat shelves haphazardly lined with starfighter models. Crumpled clothes scattered the furniture, and a few planets hung from the ceiling in white pots.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the wall, there was a dark set of curtains, but the room had only interior walls, so there wouldn’t be a window behind it. Leia started to ask about it, but Luke was already in the next room. She followed him into a little workroom. Industrial lights hung over a table, and on the table lay a half-assembled protocol droid surrounded by spare parts and tools. Luke pointed to it. “This is TC. He’s a protocol droid.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leia studied the exposed gears and wiring with an intent eye. It looked like Threepio with more bits missing. “Where’s the rest of him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luke pointed to a box of silver plating tucked under the workbench. “Father spends a lot of time away from home, so it’s been slow assembling him.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leia nodded. Her papa was gone a lot too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luke stood staring at her again. She frowned. “Stop that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Staring.” She held up a hand to block his face. She wasn’t mad. Not really. But there was a tingling feeling in the back of her head whenever he looked too long like he could read her thoughts, and she didn't like that at all. “It’s rude.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. I’m sorry.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She lowered her hand. “Do you do that to everyone?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luke wrinkled his nose in thought for a moment then shook his head. “No. There's no one else to stare at.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh. Was he really all alone here? They stood in silence for a moment. Then Luke walked back into the bedroom and returned with a model TIE fighter and a transport shuttle. “Do you like ships?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” She was still angry with him for staring. “And your TIE is broken; they don’t have bent wings.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not broken!” Anger flashed across Luke’s face, and some of the paleness left his face. “My father flies one just like it, and I’ve seen it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I bet you’re lying. Why would they make a TIE with bent-up wings?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His mouth fell open, then closed again, then he grinned. “You’re being contrary.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sniffed. “Maybe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on.” He put the shuttle in her hands, and it was heavier than she’d expected like it was wood instead of duraplastic. “You be the senator on a diplomatic mission, and I’ll be your escort and protect you from pirates.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So two of them ran through the house, Leia putting her shuttle through death-defying twists while Luke shot down attacking pirates with pinpoint accuracy. </span>
  <span>After they had saved the mission, Leia dropped onto a sofa and tossed the model onto a footstool. She was sweaty again and thirsty. Luke dropped down beside her and held the TIE fighter against his chest. He stared into the middle distance, his pale cheeks flushed with a color that didn’t seem natural to them. She wondered the last time he had run around with a kid their age.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had run all over the house, up and downstairs, in and out of bedrooms and libraries and balconies without seeing one person. The whole house was big and quiet and empty save for a few droids that kept their distance. Leia twisted in the soft cushions to look at him. “This is such a strange house. Are you really all alone here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head. “No. I have the droids. I have Ben. And Father comes home as often as he can.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leia thought of some TIE fighter-flying Moff coming home to find her running pell-mell around his house, and her stomach did a little flip. She thought about her own father coming home and not finding her there. She tried to sit up, but the sofa sucked her back into its plush cushions like it was trying to eat her, and she struggled harder until she was back on her feet. “I have to go home.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you?” He looked at her like he was surprised she had a home. That was silly. As if she’d just appeared out of a hedge like some sort of spirit. “I don’t want you to go. If you go… I’ll think you really were a ghost. Or a dream.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t want to go, not really. She wanted to stay here in this mysterious empty house talking to this more mysterious boy. But instead of saying that, she pinched him. “Did that feel like a dream?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave her an outraged look and rubbed his arm. “No.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because I’m real, silly. And so are you. I bet we’re the most real things in this whole house. But I do have to go home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hopped up and headed for the hallway. “I’ll tell the troopers to take you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Troopers?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes, there's a guard on the house. I'm not supposed to talk to bother them, but this is important." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” Leia seized his arm, breathless, heart pounding. “Don’t do that!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luke turned his eyes on her, and they were immense and innocent. “Why not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because if you do that, I’ll never get to come to see you again.” Her tutors would make sure she never left her room again, let alone the house. What kind of Rebellion spy got caught her first day out?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Luke looked about to protest, so she plunged ahead. “If the troopers take me back, Mama will think I got in trouble, and she won’t let me outside. But if I go home now, by myself, I can come back. And we can play and talk, and it’ll be our secret. The grown-ups can’t tell us what to do if it’s a secret. Do you see?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A long second passed as he thought about it, his face scrunched into a severe frown. Then he fixed those immense eyes on her again. “Will you come back? If it’s a secret?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leia thought about it for a moment and realized she did want to see him again, even with his staring and the nagging familiarity. “Yes. But you have to keep it a secret.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never had a whole person as a secret before. I promise.” He nodded and offered his hand. She took it, and they shook on it. He was her secret, and she his. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was nearly dark by the time she got home and managed to shimmy back through her window into her bedroom. There she brushed her hair and changed into clean clothes, stuffing the hedge-torn dress into the bottom of the laundry basket. She'd grass-stained a lot of clothes--no one ouwld notice. </span>
  <span>When she finished braiding her hair, she doubled-checked the back in the mirror then nodded. There. Just in time for dinner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Threepio clinked into the room and waved a golden hand. “Mistress Leia, where have you been?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She waved vaguely at the outdoors. “Playing. Were you looking for me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why I dare say I was! I never--” And while Threepio fretted, Leia looked down at her hand. Her adventure almost felt like a dream. Strange little boys in secret gardens, big houses with no one in them. It sounded like one of the folk tales Papa had told her from his own childhood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it was real. Her very own secret friend. And she knew how to keep a secret. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Box of Secrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leia returns to the garden. Luke provides some answers and raises even more questions.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span class="veryhardreadability">Leia snuck away again a few days later, and when she wormed through the hedge, she found Luke sitting on the edge of a pond with his soft blue pants rolled up to the knee and his feet in the water</span>.</p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>She crossed her arms. “Aren't you sick?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was as if he’d heard her coming, and he didn’t start or look up from the ripples in the water. “Sometimes.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Mama says sick people shouldn’t be outside. Or wet.” When she'd gotten a cold a few months ago, Mama hadn't let her outside for a whole week. Leia peeled her own boots off and plopped down beside Luke. The water was cool and felt nice after her hike to get here, and in the clear pond swam little gold and red fish.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">
    <p>Luke finally looked at her and squinted a little against the bright sunshine. “I like the fresh air. I was born too early, so I’m not as strong as I’m supposed to be, but I hate <span class="passivevoice"> being shut </span> up in the house all the time.”</p>
  </div>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Leia flicked water across the pond and hit the bank on the other side. “Don’t you have lessons? Or do you always <span class="qualifier"> just </span> do as you please?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sometimes, but Ben’s busy today. I’m doing what I want.” He kicked water too, and it splattered across the water in a messy arc. The fish scattered to hide under the overhanging banks. <span class="hardreadability"> It seemed to her that Luke was a little spoiled, but he was nicer than other spoiled children she’d met, so she wouldn’t hold it against him</span>. “Do <em>you</em> have lessons?” he asked.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Of course.” Leia raised her chin. “I’m learning about all kinds of important things.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke grinned. “Like what?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Like how to be a good queen.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“A queen?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes.” It was Leia’s turn to look quizzical. “Don’t you know anything?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I know lots of things. But tell me anyway. I like listening to you talk.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>So she did. <span class="hardreadability"> The two of them sat side by side with their feet in the pond while Leia told him all about her lessons and about her house and it’s gardens</span>. <span class="hardreadability"> She told him about Papa off doing important work in the Senate and all the different people he met and worked with there</span>. <span class="hardreadability"> She told him about Mama ruling Alderaan and about how she smelled like lavender and brushed Leia’s hair at night</span>. <span class="hardreadability"> All the while Luke watched her with rapt attention, and the tingling in her head grew and grew until it clicked and stopped</span>. He liked hearing about Leia’s mother. It made him sad. Those were opposite things, and both of them were true.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>To make him quit being weird, Leia kicked water at him. “Don’t you have a mother?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I did.” Luke frowned. “But she died. She got hurt right before I was born. It’s why I’m sick sometimes. Father doesn’t like to talk about it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh.” <span class="hardreadability"> Leia thought about Mama and what it would be like to not know her, but it was like thinking about the space between stars</span>. <span class="qualifier"> Just </span> a big stretch of empty like the one she felt Luke holding <span class="complexword"> in between </span> his ribs. "Is that why you were crying last time?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I wasn't crying," he said <span class="adverb"> fiercely </span>. Then he hung his head. "The troopers were talking about me. I hate it when they talk about me."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Oh. She did remember something like that when she'd first fallen through the wall. <span class="veryhardreadability"> She didn't like people gossiping about her either, even though Mama said she had to rise above it because she was a princess and people would always be talking</span>.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Flushing <span class="adverb"> suddenly</span>, Luke looked away like he'd felt her sympathy and <span class="passivevoice"> was embarrassed</span>. “Do you want to see my secrets box?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What’s a secrets box?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He got up and walked barefoot into the house, leaving his boots in the grass. Leia did the same, and he led her up the stairs to some kind of library. Holobooks lined the walls, and on the floor there was a big grey rug that looked like the fur of some kind of giant animal. <span class="hardreadability"> Luke slid aside an end table with some effort, sweat beading on his forehead, and Leia sprang to help him peel back the rug </span>. Once it flopped aside, Luke ran his hand over the floorboards and closed his eyes. One board popped up under his flat palm.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Leia frowned. There must have been a pressure plate he’d found.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><span class="adverb">Carefully</span><span class="hardreadability"> Luke moved the board aside and from under the floor he produced a silver box that looked like an old toolbox</span>. He slid the lid off and set the box on the floor. Inside was a strange collection—some white fabric, a rock, some dried flowers, a commlink. Leia leaned closer. “What’s all this?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“My secrets box. It’s where I keep important things. <span class="qualifier"> Just </span> for me. But since you’re a secret too, I can show you.” He touched the dried pink flowers that looked like they might have been crimson once. “These are roses. They were my mother’s favorite kind of flower.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Leia nodded <span class="adverb"> solemnly</span>. Roses didn’t grow easily on Alderaan. <span class="hardreadability"> Papa said the soil was good for growing other things--trees, grains, little children--but not roses </span>. Not without a lot of hard work and careful attention.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her friend pointed to the white fabric that had yellowed with time and a crumpled bit of duraplastic. “Those are my baby toys. I hold them sometimes when I’m sad and I don’t want anybody to know.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It didn’t seem there was anybody around to know, Leia thought, but she kept it to herself. Then he pointed to the rock. “That’s a river stone. Ben gave me that when I turned nine. Said I needed it more than he did.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Leia picked up the rock, and Luke didn’t seem to mind, so she turned the smooth stone over in her hand. It fit <span class="adverb"> perfectly </span> in her palm and almost seemed to get warm against her skin and… sing. But that was silly. Rocks didn't sing. She handed it back to Luke. “Who is Ben anyway?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke has mentioned him a few times but never explained who he was.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“My friend. He takes care of me and the gardens when Father is away.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Leia gave him a skeptical look. “Your gardener takes care of you?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke nodded and didn’t say anything more. They were going to have to work on the answering questions thing.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Do you want to see her?” he said <span class="adverb"> suddenly</span>. He sounded so eager and nervous and afraid all at once that it made Leia's heart do a little flip.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What do you mean?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“My mother.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I thought she died.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“She did.” He tucked everything back into his secrets box and hid it back under the floorboards. They tugged the rug and the end table back into place, and Luke got it <span class="adverb"> perfectly </span> aligned with the indents in the rug. Then he took her hand and led her to his room and pointed to the dark curtains that couldn’t have a window behind them. <span class="veryhardreadability"> Once Leia was stood at the foot of his bed, Luke went to a thin silver cord hanging from the curtains and tugged, revealing the portrait of a woman in a rich purple gown with a silver circlet in her soft hair</span>.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke’s mother was beautiful and regal and young. <span class="veryhardreadability"> The artist had painted her on some kind of balcony surrounded by the roses from Luke’s box, and a soft light diffused through her hair and glinted off her silver crown that looked like an old Republic symbol</span>. <span class="hardreadability"> There was a professional look on her face, </span> <span class="complexword"> not unlike </span> <span class="hardreadability"> Mama’s public smile, the one she used for strangers and colleagues</span>. Not an expression a mother gave her son. But Leia felt in her heart that the woman had been kind and that somehow she had been <span class="adverb"> unbearably </span> sad. It was a… feeling in her chest that made her feel warm and sad and <span class="adverb"> prickly </span> all at the same time.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Why is she behind curtains?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke was staring at his mother with a distant expression. “It makes Father sad to see her. I keep the curtains drawn when he’s home.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Leia tore her gaze away from the painting to look at Luke in horror. “Is he home?” She couldn’t <span class="passivevoice"> be caught by </span> some Imperial. She wouldn’t.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No. He's been gone for a few weeks.” Luke averted his gaze from his mother’s. “It's only that... it makes me sad too.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They stood in silence for a long time, and he was sad. He was sad that he had lost people before he ever had a chance to know them, and it was such an ache that it filled up his insides. It made her feel <span class="adverb"> prickly </span> like the painting did, but he wasn't alone. Leia took his hand and squeezed it tight. “Let’s go play.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He looked down and, after a moment, squeezed it back, and the sadness in her chest turned warm like sunshine. "Do you like hide and seek?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">
    <p>"Yes."</p>
  </div>
  <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">
    <p>He grinned. "Then you hide first. I will count."</p>
  </div>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A bit of a shorter chapter! </p><p>The river stone is from the Jedi Apprentice series, where Qui-Gon gives Obi-Wan a rock as a birthday present because why not. Obi-Wan has it now because Vader managed to get some of their old stuff out of the Temple not long after the events of Nothing Grows.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Brightest Shade of Sun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke reluctantly talks more about his past, and Leia meets someone else in the garden.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Luke was cheating. He had to be. That was the only way he could be finding her so fast. When it was her turn to seek, she was going--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pounced on her. “Found you!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrieked and tumbled through the bush, and Luke tumbled with her into the open, laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they got detangled, still sitting in the thick grass, she hit his shoulder. “How are you doing that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed. “You’re so bright! You’re easy to find.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bright? What are you talking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re like a star. Or the suns.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She narrowed her eyes. “We only have one sun.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why did you say suns?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grew solemn and thought for a moment. “Oh. Did I? I see a planet with two suns sometimes in my dreams."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Being weird like you can see my thoughts. You’re doing it again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Luke’s face pinched with anxiety. “You’re upset. Are you going to leave?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would I leave? I’m just annoyed because you’re cheating.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke's anxiety quickened to anger of his own. “It's not cheating. You need to learn how to shield.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shield what? What is that?” He was being so weird. What was he talking about?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But instead of answering, he reached out and poked her in the ribs. It tickled, and she kicked at him reflexively. “Stop it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried to tickle her again, but she sprang back and sprinted away. Then they were running headlong through the grounds, screaming and laughing as Luke tried to grab her. He was fast, but she was stronger and healthier, and the wind seemed to bend itself to carry her along like it was going to carry her up, up into the sky where she could walk forever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leia, look out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked back at Luke, who reached for her, and she laughed. He wouldn’t get her that easy. Then her foot caught on something hard in the grass, and she really did go flying. She tumbled twice and sprawled headlong into the grass. Pain flared up her limbs as she skidded onto her stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look out!” Luke tried to leap over her, but his toes caught on her shoulder, and he went tumbling too with a grunt before going still. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They lay perfectly still for a moment, and the worry that Luke might have hurt himself flashed across her mind, but he laughed and rolled onto his back. Leia laughed too. The two of them lay in the grass staring up at the sky, then, fingers outstretched, Luke reached for the endless blue like he could catch hold of the clouds and let him carry him over the garden wall to the world outside. </span>
  <span>Leia closed her eyes and let the sun shine down on her. The garden was big and alive, almost magic, and she was here with Luke. It was familiar and safe and new all at once, and she felt like she had always been here lying in the grass staring up at the sky. Maybe this is what he meant when he talked about being bright. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned her head to ask him about it, but Luke was already looking at her with his wide blue eyes. She blinked. “Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Leia?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have we met before? I feel like I’ve always known you, but we just met this week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke frowned solemnly, and his eyes unfocused as he thought hard. Then he shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before. I’ve lived here my whole life, and you’ve never been here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sat up. “Your whole life? I thought you were from Coruscant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His brow furrowed. “Why would you think that?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your accent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Maybe. I think I lived somewhere else when I was little, but I don’t remember.” Then as an afterthought, “Ben has a Coruscant accent.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” A gardener from Coruscant?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. He taught me how to talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That did explain Luke’s accent. But teaching a child how to talk? That sounded more like a parent than a staff member. Another thought occurred to her, and Leia threw herself back onto the grass to lie down since her clothes were already dirty from playing. “When you say you’ve always lived here, do you mean Alderaan? Or in this house?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, the gardens too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How could he not think that was odd? Leia had lost track of how many times she’d snuck out of the palace and away from her tutors, and she wasn’t even grown up yet. Did he not know how to sneak? </span>
  <span>He shook his head, and she could feel him pulling away slightly like he was suddenly embarrassed where he had never thought to be before. “It’s because I’m ill.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reading her mind again. Leia scowled. “You’ve never left this garden?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I tried it once, but I didn't get far.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lightheadedness washed over her, and Leia had a sudden flash of memory that wasn’t her own--climbing up a tree. Shouting from the house, angry voices that carried all the way down into the far corners of the garden, and a burning </span>
  <em>
    <span>need need need</span>
  </em>
  <span> to get away. Leaping from the shaking branch to the tree, the elation of making it over the wall. Sudden, blistering pain. Leia gasped and jerked reflexively to grab her leg. But she wasn’t in pain. She was lying on the grass beside Luke, who was watching her with concern. “Are you all right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blinked, and the last of the lightheadedness receded. “I’m okay. What--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ray shield. I bounced off and broke my leg.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia winced. The wall had to be fifteen or twenty feet tall. A fall like that would have hurt. No wonder he had never tried again. Then, without thinking, s</span>
  <span>he blurted, “You could come home with me if you wanted. My parents wouldn’t mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did roll over to look at her with astonishment, and she nodded before he could argue. She wasn’t really sure what Mama would think of Leia bringing home strange little boys, but it didn’t seem fair that she had been off-planet and Luke hadn’t even been off the manor grounds. </span>
  <span>His face lit up like a sun, and for a moment, Leia was ready to take his hand and run. Run, run, run until they were out of sight of the house and the walls and the troopers, somewhere Luke's father would never find them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Luke pursed his lips and shook his head. “Father wouldn’t like it. And it wouldn’t be fair to Ben.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wouldn’t fit through the gap in the wall.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” She fell back down, staring up into the sky through the invisible ray shield. A moment later, Luke took her hand, and they lay in the grass with the sun shining on their faces. What a strange life her friend lived. He hadn’t even known he was on Alderaan. How did somebody go their whole life not know what planet they lived on?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia had nearly dozed off thinking about it when a shadow fell across the sun. “Hello there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gasping, Leia snapped her eyes open. Over her stood a man with a stark white beard, all dressed in grey coveralls with a wide-brimmed hat that hid most of his short red and grey hair. He smiled kindly, crinkling the corners of his eyes, but Leia’s heart leaped into her throat and she scrambled up. Grass stains and dirt stains spotted her white dress, and her hair was all frizzy. Frightful. But maybe it was like a disguise. Nobody would recognize a princess covered in dirt, and Leia did not want to be recognized. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke bounced to his feet and didn’t seem in the least bit alarmed. The man’s smile grew fond, and he brushed some grass from Luke’s hair. “And who is your new friend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke shut one eye in a long-suffering grimace as his hair was brushed back. “Hi, Ben.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. So this was Ben the gardener. She should have guessed from the coveralls and the wheelbarrow behind him. He looked oldish, maybe a little older than Papa judging by the amount of white hair he had, even if his face wasn’t super wrinkly yet. Luke talked about him like another parent, but she hadn’t expected… she didn’t know what she had expected. There was something familiar about him like an itch in the back of her head, but she couldn’t place it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While she squinted at the gardener, Luke let Ben brush the last of the grass from his hair. “She’s my friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben gave him a long look, almost like he heard all the things Luke had left unsaid in answering the question. Luke looked up at him innocently, and Leia got the feeling she did when Mama and her handmaidens just talked with looks so Leia wouldn’t know what was going on. She didn’t like that at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Ben looked back to Leia and bowed slightly. “I’m Ben. I take care of the grounds and keep an eye on Luke here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She curtsied to be polite. “I’m Leia.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man continued to smile, but his eyes went distant and glassy, and the blood drained from his face so it was as white as his hair. Then he swallowed, and his smile widened even though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Leia. A pleasure to meet you. How…” He looked down at his charge. “Did you and Luke meet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She fell through the hedge,” Luke said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, Leia elbowed him, and he gave her a perplexed glare as he rubbed his ribs. Didn’t he know that if he told Ben how she came and went, the hedge would probably get fixed and she wouldn’t be able to come back? She wouldn’t even be able to climb over the wall. Honestly, did he have no idea how to be sneaky?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben raised an eyebrow, smile gone. “Through the hedge?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With all the innocence she could muster, Leia smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And how did you come to be in the hedge?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia shrugged. “Fell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he noted dryly. “You mentioned that. But it is getting late. Your parents must surely be worried about you by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t that late, and Luke scowled and opened his mouth to protest, but Leia stepped on his foot. His big mouth was going to get them in trouble. Well, more trouble. “Yes, Mr. Ben.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had no doubt that he would be closing the hole in the hedge as soon as she was gone, and she knew Luke had thought the same thing because he had the most mournful look on his face. What if she never saw him again? What if she left, and he was stuck in that spooky old house forever with a gardener for a father and a father that never came home? Then he’d really be lonely, lonelier even, now that he knew what it was like to have a friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Leia crushed that thought like a dry leaf. She’d found her way in once; she could do it again even if she had to stare down the troopers at the front door. If the house had a front door. She grabbed Luke’s hand to reassure herself. “I have to get home for dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will see you tomorrow.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia took a couple of steps toward her exit, but Luke launched himself at her and wrapped his arms around her so tight he almost bowled her over. </span>
  <span>“She has to get her shoes,” he declared. “She cannot walk home barefoot.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben smiled again, but it was drawn at the corners. “Of course.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke grabbed her hand and took off toward the house. “Come on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia threw the old man a sidelong glance, and he stood watching them go with a distant expression on his face. </span>
  <span>“Don’t worry about him,” Luke said. He pulled her into the house where she’d left her boots. “Ben won’t tell the troopers about you. He doesn’t ever talk to them.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia slowed and grabbed her shoes in short, sharp motions, irritated at having been found out. “He’s strange.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looked surprised. “Is he?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re strange, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke fell silent. Then, “Is that bad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She thought for a moment then shook her head. “Not for you. But I don’t think he likes me. He really wants me to leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A relieved smile flashed across Luke’s face. “He doesn’t like much of anybody. Except me,” he quickly amended. “And sometimes Father when they’re not fighting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She dropped her shoe. “Your gardener fights with a Moff?” That seemed like a good way to get executed, and Ben had been very much in one piece. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looked at her like she’d said something stupid. “Father is not a Moff. I hate Moffs. They’re stupid, and they just get in the way, and their incompetence means Father has to be away longer. Father hates them too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had that in common at least. Leia screwed up her face. “Well if your father isn’t a Moff, then what does he do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He works for the Emperor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia huffed in frustration. He had to be military, that was the only way he could have a house this nice with troopers walking the perimeter. And military meant Imperial. “Yes, I know that, but what does he </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugged. Leia drilled him with her best Papa stare, and he wilted just a bit. “He fixes the empire’s problems.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia narrowed her eyes. Luke’s father probably wasn’t a mechanic, so she poked the boy in the ribs. “What’s that mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke covered his ribs protectively. “Things go wrong, and he fixes them. He’s good at it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he was an admiral then, even though she couldn’t think of any admirals with children her age. But if Luke was a secret child, she wouldn’t have known about him. When Luke didn’t give up any more information, Leia decided to add it to the list of mysteries about this strange house. She was getting good at uncovering mysteries. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke seemed to accept her silence as her dropping the subject, so he headed back out into the garden. Leia went to follow him, but she stopped and pushed a painting just a little off-kilter. It wouldn’t do anything, but it made a small part of her grin to know some admiral’s house was a disarrayed. </span>
  <span>Then the two of them returned to the hedge, Ben watching with his arms crossed from a good ways away. But Luke threw himself into her arms and hugged her tight as he could. “You’ll come back, won’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hugged him back. “Why do you always ask that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not answering, Luke shrugged against her neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed. “If Ben doesn’t close up the hedge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could come in the front door.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She snorted like she hadn’t already considered it. “Then it wouldn’t be a secret, silly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I forgot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry. A dumb little hedge won’t keep me out. Thanks for showing me your secret box.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the hug ended, Leia stepped back, waved goodbye, and crawled back out through the thick prickle bush.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ben's back, and he is stressed!! The next few chapters have some Luke and Ben POV. It's been a while since we've heard from them, and it will maybe answer some of the ongoing questions of how Vader has kept them in the dark and basically under house arrest for so long.</p><p>There is actual plot coming lol, but I gave Luke such a hard time in Nothing Grows that I wanted him and Leia to have some nice down time to just be kids. </p><p>The chapter title is taken from a line of "Like the Dawn" by The Oh Hellos.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Between You, Me, and the Garden Ghost</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke and Ben have a serious discussion.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Leia was gone, Luke stood watching the hole in the wall for a long time. <span class="hardreadability"> He could sense her getting further and further away, and that made a sad hollowness in his chest even though she had promised to come back</span>. <span class="veryhardreadability"> He hadn't meant to show her the memory of the time he tried to jump over the wall--it was one of his least favorites, full of hurt and fear, and he had been afraid she would run away and never come back like he had tried to</span>.</p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>But Leia was brave. Instead of running, she'd stayed and offered to let him go home with her, and he had wanted it. <span class="veryhardreadability"> He had felt how </span> <span class="adverb"> badly </span> <span class="veryhardreadability"> she wanted it, which made him want even more, burning bigger and brighter until he had </span> <span class="adverb"> nearly </span> <span class="veryhardreadability"> taken her hand and dragged her through the wall</span>.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Then he had remembered Ben. Father would be angry if Luke left, and he couldn't leave Ben behind to talk to Father alone.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke had never <span class="adverb"> really </span> thought about leaving the garden before. <span class="veryhardreadability"> He’d </span> <span class="adverb"> certainly </span> <span class="veryhardreadability"> thought about the world outside, dreamed about it, devoured all the holobooks and stories Father brought home of those far-flung stars</span>. But he’d never known which one he was on, and even his best guesses had Leia said they were on Alderaan. He hadn’t known that, and he didn’t think Ben had either. <span class="veryhardreadability"> They guessed together sometimes, comparing the stars to Luke’s nav charts, digging through the nature manuals for the birds and little mammals that lived in the garden</span>. After a while they’d whittled it down to a few dozen planets but nothing specific.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Alderaan. And it had come to him through a strange little girl with dark eyes. He’d met so few people before. Father. Ben. <span class="hardreadability"> Sometimes the clones who kept patrol around the outside of the grounds, though Ben was adamant that he </span> <span class="passivevoice"> was supposed </span> <span class="hardreadability"> to stay far, far away from them</span>. But Leia had been his friend. And now she might never come back.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><span class="hardreadability">Once he couldn’t sense Leia anymore, Luke shook himself and realized his shadow had moved, so he reached out in the Force for Ben</span>. <span class="hardreadability"> His guardian was </span> <span class="adverb"> normally </span> <span class="hardreadability"> like a pond, deep and </span> <span class="adverb"> perfectly </span> <span class="hardreadability"> still, but now he </span> <span class="passivevoice"> was frozen </span> <span class="hardreadability"> over, all bottled up inside and distant</span>. Luke couldn’t sense his exact feelings, which meant Ben <span class="passivevoice"> was upset</span>.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke balled his fists up. He didn’t like it when people <span class="passivevoice"> were upset</span>. Ben usually wasn’t, so that meant whatever he <span class="passivevoice"> was upset </span> about was bad. <span class="hardreadability"> He played back through the day, asked the Force what he had done wrong, and the answer came before he’d even finished the question</span>.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>Leia. </em> <span class="hardreadability"> <em>Leia, Leia, Leia</em>-- the chorus that had been playing in his head since the strange girl with the dark eyes had stumbled into the garden </span> . She was his first friend. She was <em>important</em>.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And now Ben <span class="passivevoice"> was upset </span> about Leia.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke took a deep breath and trotted across the garden to Ben’s corner of the grounds. <span class="adverb"> Really </span> all the gardens were his--Father said so often--but Ben hated the house. Well, Ben didn’t hate anything, but he disliked it, and his room across the hall from Luke's was always empty. <span class="hardreadability"> Instead, the gardener had built himself another smaller house where he and Luke stayed when Father was away</span>. That was the arrangement. Ben stayed away from the house, and Father stayed out of the garden. <span class="veryhardreadability"> The little hut sat partway into the ground, its roof and walls all made out of thatched water reeds from the ponds, and all kinds of bushes and tall grasses sprouted around it, hiding it from view of the big house</span>. Behind it was a plot of black dirt for the garden, and Ben was hacking away at the earth with the hoe.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke paused on the edge of the black dirt, his heart twisting in his chest. <span class="adverb"> Normally</span><span class="veryhardreadability">, he would have offered to help--he liked digging in the garden even if it made him out of breath because the way the Force sang between the plants made him feel alive</span>. He liked the dark dirt under his nails and picking the worms out of the way so they wouldn’t get squished. But now he wanted Ben to stop <span class="passivevoice"> being upset</span>. He wanted Leia to come back. <span class="hardreadability"> He didn’t think he’d ever wanted anything so </span> <span class="adverb"> badly</span><span class="hardreadability">, and the Force kept saying her name over and over in his head-- <em>Leia, Leia, Leia.</em></span></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ben stopped <span class="adverb"> abruptly</span>, hoe buried in the ground, and turned around. <span class="veryhardreadability"> His face </span> <span class="passivevoice"> was red </span> <span class="veryhardreadability"> and sweaty from working, and there was something in his face Luke didn’t understand, something his friend pushed under the ice as he shook his head</span>. “I’m not angry with you, Luke.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke scuffed the dirt with his toe. “But you’re upset.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><span class="hardreadability">Ben crossed the upturned soil to Luke and went down on one knee so their faces were level, and he sighed and took off his hat</span>. “I am, but not with you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“With Leia.” A guess. He didn’t want Ben to be angry with Leia either, but she wasn’t here. She didn’t seem like the kind of person who minded when people <span class="passivevoice"> were upset </span> with her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“With a great many things that are not your fault. I was… surprised by your visitor. You know that she cannot come back.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke snapped his head up, anger sparking in his chest. “What?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It is not safe for her to be here.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“But she comes through the wall, and the troopers don’t see her. We promised to keep each other secret so she could come back. I promised.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ben was sad. Angry too, before he exhaled it like a held breath. “I know this is difficult for you to accept, but—“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">
    <p>"That's not fair!" </p>
  </div>
  <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">
    <p>"This is not about fair, Luke, it is about keeping you and Leia--"</p>
  </div>
  <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">
    <p>"You have a friend! I should get one too." That dumb garden ghost that Ben was always talking to. Ben always tried to be fair, but it wasn't fair that he got a friend Luke couldn't even see or talk to but Luke couldn't have one of his own. </p>
  </div>
  <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">
    <p>Ben gestured patiently with one hand. "That is entirely different, and we have discussed that before. Leia will not be returning."</p>
  </div>
</div><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">
    <p>“But I love her,” Luke wailed.</p>
  </div>
</div><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr">
    <p>A stricken look crossed Ben’s face and deepened the crow's feet by his eyes. “You’ve only <span class="qualifier"> just </span> met her, Luke. The attachment you’re feeling is natural, but it will pass in time.”</p>
  </div>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But he didn’t want it to fade. Ben always had an explanation, an answer, but Luke didn’t want an explanation. He wanted his friend back. “Please.” Hot tears welled up in his eyes, and he shook his head, trying to make them go away. “Please, Ben, don’t take her away. I’ll be good.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Ben took Luke’s shoulders. “It is not a punishment, Luke. <em>You</em> have not done anything wrong, and I am not angry with you. It is <span class="adverb"> simply </span> not safe for her to be in this house.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><span class="hardreadability">There was something about the way Ben said “you” that made Luke think someone had done something very wrong</span>. Oh. So Ben was <span class="adverb"> really </span> angry with <em>that</em> someone, not Luke. But Father wasn’t even home. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke threw his arms around the gardener’s neck and buried his face in Ben’s shoulder. The burn scar on the back of the gardener’s neck rubbed on Luke’s wrists, and he was all sweaty, but Luke held tight. “Please, please, please, Ben. It’s so lonely, and I’ve never had a friend, and she’s so lonely too, and, and, and, I love her. I love her, I love her--” Luke choked on a sob and buried his face against his friend’s neck, and Ben held him steady. <span class="veryhardreadability"> Crying wouldn't get him what he wanted--he needed to be reasonable and explain what he wanted, but the feelings were too big, and he couldn't hold them anymore</span>. <span class="veryhardreadability"> He sobbed a few times, clinging to Ben's steadiness and letting the Force hold his </span> <em> <span class="adverb">sad-angry-lonely</span> </em> <span class="veryhardreadability"> and carry it away like white seed puffs in the breeze, and bit by bit, the feelings grew small enough to hold again</span>.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>After a few moments of quiet, Ben patted his shoulder. “Feeling better?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“<span class="qualifier">I think </span> so.” Luke still had a big achy place in his chest from wanting Leia back, but he had cried all his tears.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Good." Ben started to lean back. "Now. I understand that you are very attached to Leia, but you only met--”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Please.” Luke hugged tighter, stopping his friend short. “I’ll do anything. I’ll clean the gutters. I’ll weed the tubers. I'll... I’ll meditate for a week. Anything. <span class="qualifier"> Just </span> don’t take her away.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><span class="veryhardreadability">"Luke, you don't need to--" Sighing, Ben pinched the bridge of his nose and slumped a little that meant his head was hurting, and Luke realized with a surge of joy that he had won</span>. But he stayed quiet so Ben could finish talking. It was polite.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Unfortunately, <span class="qualifier"> I believe </span> you two would find a way to see each other regardless of if I tried to keep you apart. If… if you are so dead set on seeing her, I would rather you do it with my knowledge than behind my back. But if I allow you to do this, you and Leia must agree to some very strict rules.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke sniffed. “Rules?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes. When she can come, when she must leave and stay away. Vader can never know about Leia.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“But--”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Never, Luke.” He pushed the boy to arms’ length and grew grim, his mouth turning down under his white beard. “You are going to be ten in a few weeks, which means you are old enough to understand that this is not a game. If Leia comes back, you will have to keep her secret. You cannot speak of her to your father, cannot think of her in his presence. Do you understand?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>That made Luke pause. When he’d agreed to keep the secret, he hadn’t thought it applied to Ben or to Father. He… he wasn’t supposed to keep secrets from Father. But he did. He had the secrets box, and sometimes he fibbed or left out bits of stories that he knew would make Father upset. Like Ben's ghost. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What will happen?” Luke asked. “If Father does find out?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><span class="hardreadability">While Ben pressed his lips into a thin line, the Force rippled, the ice around him unfreezing to allow a sliver of fear to ripple to the top</span>. “He will be very, very angry, and he will take Leia away from her own parents forever. She will never <span class="passivevoice"> be allowed </span> to go home.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke leaned back in horror. He wanted Leia with him, but not like that. Not always in the garden like him. Ben was telling the truth. He always told the truth, even when he left bits out. “Why? Why would Father do that?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It is..." Ben paused for the right word to come to him. "Difficult to explain."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Why?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The gardener smiled <span class="adverb"> sadly </span> and ran his hand over Luke's hair. "Because I cannot ask you to hold a sorrow so great. <span class="qualifier"> Perhaps </span> <span class="hardreadability"> someday when you are older, I will explain, but for now you must trust me: if you love her, your father must never find out</span>. Not her name, not her presence. Nothing.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke swallowed. He didn’t want to keep secrets from Father. But he didn’t want Leia to lose her parents like he had lost his mother. She seemed sad enough without that. This was a serious secret, not like his box of treasures but a real one. He nodded. “All right.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Very well." Ben got to his feet and turned back to the half-tilled garden. “Come help me finish tilling this new plot, and tell me what you and Leia have been up too. Then we will talk more about the rules.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luke grinned, and, feeling light as air, he bounded after the gardener.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The chapter title is a play on the idiom "between you, me, and the gatepost" which means to have a secret only the speaker and the listener should know.  </p><p>More Luke and Ben POV to come!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Coalescence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke helps in the garden and practices using the Force. He just wants to fix things, but Leia will settle for someone to hold her hand.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>Leia didn’t come back the next day, which might have upset Luke, but he and Ben had agreed on the rules, and Ben hadn't closed up the hole in the hedge. </span>They had agreed on the rules, promised, and Ben wouldn’t break a promise. Leia could come back, had promised to come back, so Luke was content to wait. Practicing patience was not his favorite thing, but he <span>knew all about waiting. Waiting for the birds to return in the spring. Waiting with Ben for the daffodils to bloom from their bulbs. Waiting for Father to come home. Father was gone for long stretches at a time, once as long as eight months before the emperor allowed him to stop flying from planet to planet fixing the Empire's problems. Ben said if the Empire helped people, maybe it wouldn't have so many problems, but that made Father angry because he had not spent so long away to come home to be lectured <em>Obi-Wan. </em></span></p><p>Obi-Wan had been Ben's name a long time ago, Luke knew, but the gardener liked Ben better, so Ben it was. He said he would tell Luke about it someday. Someday. </p><p>
  <span>So Luke waited. </span>
  <span>He practiced meditating, did his lessons, and helped Ben get the new garden plot ready for seeds. He'd tried to help dig out the smaller rocks all by himself while Ben carried the heavier ones to stack for path stones later, but one of the rocks had a sharp edge and sliced his fingers. Hissing, Luke shook his hand to make the stinging go away, but he flicked blood on his pants. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A flicker of worry wrapped around him in the Force a second before Ben's voice rang out. "Luke? Are you all right?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He spun around, and Ben was at the edge of the garden, a displaced stone at his feet and an alert crease to his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think so." It hurt. Luke wanted to say a bad word, but he didn't think it would make him feel better. "The rock cut me." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In two strides, the gardener was crouched at his side inspecting the cut. He frowned for a moment, then bent Luke's elbow to keep his fingers in the air. "Hold it up like this, so it won't bleed as much. Let's get it cleaned up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them headed inside, and Luke hopped up on the table in the living space and kept holding his hand up while blood trickled between his fingers. Ben returned a moment later with the med kit and began cleaning and dressing the cut across each finger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps next time--" Ben smoothed over the last bandage and wrapped Luke's hand in white gauze to hold the fingers still. "--we will go back to the house for gloves when we pick rocks."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” He’d rushed in again. That was always getting him into trouble. “Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It's all right, Luke. The hurt can be fixed, and learning from our mistakes is how we gain wisdom."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nodded solemnly and held out his bandaged hand. Ben took it in his own calloused hands, and his long fingers completely encompassed Luke’s much smaller hand. Closing his eyes, the gardener frowned, and his hands grew warmer, easing the stinging. Luke had seen Ben do this lots of times, once when he’d fallen out of a tree and broken his leg, and Father had held him down while Ben set the bone and healed it with the Force enough for Luke to stop crying. Luke had never felt Father so scared. Ben had been scared then too, but he was better at hiding it, and he worried more than Father did. Maybe that was why Leia had thought Ben was more like a father than a gardener, even if she wasn't quite right. Luke had a father, and he had Ben. It was simple really. When Ben let go of Luke’s hands, the cuts stung a lot less. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Ben.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome.” Ben smiled fondly. “Remember to wear gloves next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will.”</span>
</p><p><span>Leia didn’t come back the next day or the day after. Luke’s stomach started to hurt, a swimming, twisty hurt, so Ben made him some soup and sent him to bed early. Luke wasn’t old enough to be in the big house by himself, so when Father wasn’t home, he stayed in Ben’s house in the garden in the little bedroom off the living room built 'specially for him. It was a lot smaller than his room in the house, but </span>Luke liked it better out here anyway. It had a bed and a box to hold his things and even a window with a paper screen that let the faint moonlight in, and he was close to Ben in case he needed something and so he wouldn't be alone. Luke didn't like being alone. </p><p>The boy sprawled on the bed, a dataslate with a story resting on the pillow beside his head. His head hurt a little, and he was tired and not tired all at the same time. It was confusing.  </p><p>Ben knocked on the door and pushed it in slightly. "Lights out, Luke. It’s late.”</p><p>
  <span>“Okay." When the gardener started to close the door, Luke sat up. </span>
  <span>"Ben?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pause. "Yes, Luke?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good night."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben blinked once then his face softened to a smile. "Sleep well, Luke." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door shut, and Luke rolled over and turned off his electro-lamp, sinking the room into a quiet dimness. He lay awake for a long time thinking his thoughts, trying not to think about how his head hurt, and eventually, he heard Ben’s muffled voice drifting through the wall. He must have been out in the new plot arguing with his ghost again, so L</span>
  <span>uke got out of bed and snuck outside to see. Ben was indeed in the middle of the new vegetable garden, arguing with his invisible friend. He was gesturing, chopping the air with one hand. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>know Anakin, but there is no telling what Vader will do if he finds out about Leia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A moment of silence. Luke guessed the ghost was talking back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben ran a hand through his hair. “Believe what you want. The fact remains that he has betrayed us before and could do it again at any moment. And then what will become of Luke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. Ben was still <em>very</em> angry with Father then. Luke shut the hut door quietly behind him and wandered into the garden. A few minutes later, he found himself in the garden standing in the waist-high grass by the pond. His head felt warm and a little dizzy--feverish, Ben called it--so he laid down and stared up at the stars, trying to figure out which one Father was on. </span>
  <span>Maybe Corellia or Ord Mantell or Sallust or Coruscant. He hoped Father wasn’t on Coruscant. Bad things happened on Coruscant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But maybe Father was on his way back. Closing his eyes, Luke reached out with the Force and felt for his parent's presence--a dying coal waiting to be fanned back to life. It would get warmer sometimes when he was home for a long time, only to dim when he and Ben fought or after a long campaign. It wasn’t good for Father to be alone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke stretched his senses further. He wasn’t supposed to reach far beyond the garden walls—he might be noticed—but it was late, and even the clones had to sleep sometime. He reached out, out, out into space but only heard the cold ringing of the stars. But there was another presence on the planet. Not Ben. Ben was bright and familiar and safe, but this one was different. Familiar in a strange way and fuzzier. He could feel himself being pulled into orbit, slipping irresistibly closer until they were circling like a wandering star coming to rest in a binary system.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. Of course it was Leia. Eyes still closed, Luke smiled and reached for her, and the Force sighed in approval. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her mind was hazy, not quite asleep, not quite awake as she tossed and turned in her bed. She was sick, he realized. That was why she hadn’t come to see him. A small part of his heart forgave her, a part he hadn’t realized was angry with her for staying away. He’d have to think about that later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now Leia was curled up on her side and clutching a wet cloth to her face to cool the red from her cheeks. He could see her in his mind like a dream. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leia,” he whispered. “Leia, can you hear me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned and shut her eyes tighter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leia.” He reached a little further, and he found he could touch her mind almost as easily as he could touch Father’s. “Hear me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She opened one eye. “Luke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to reach out and pet her hair back from where it stuck to her her face. She had such nice, long hair, but they weren’t really together in a way he could do that. There was still a whole mountainside between them, and the garden wall, which might as well be half the galaxy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Closing her eyes again, she shifted a little under her blanket, and he wondered if she had fallen asleep before she broke the silence. “Am I dreaming?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something snarled like a rosebush in his chest. Fear. Was she upset he was here? </span>
  <span>“But it’s a nice dream, isn’t it?” he asked. “Do you want me to go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” She tried to sit up, but a pain flashed through her head and through Luke’s, and she slumped back onto the bed. “Please.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He curled his hand--the not hurt one--tight, and he could almost feel her holding his hand back. They lay there, one child in a palace at the top of the mountainside, the other sprawled in the grass at the peak’s base, but together in their small orbit, circling round and round on some invisible string. Something told Luke they were always going to be together, and the thought made him smile. It was nice to have a friend. Even a secret one. Especially a secret one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you here?” she finally asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the Force.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Force?” He could hear the confusion in her voice. “Like a Jedi?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke opened and shut his mouth, not sure how to answer. The Jedi were a messy topic. Ben said they were heroes. The history holos called them traitors. Father didn’t talk about them, just got dim and angry, and Luke had learned not to ask. So he said, “Like me. Like you too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She made an annoyed sound. “I don’t have the Force.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you do. That’s how I found you. Only you haven’t had as much practice as me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She got very quiet, and Luke was afraid he had scared her. People were always scared of the Force, and that was something Father and Ben agreed on. People didn’t like what they didn’t understand. </span>
  <span>Then Leia moaned and shifted, and he could feel the throbbing in her head like he was sick too. She was in pain. He wanted her to not be in pain. </span>
  <span>“Leia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re just a kid. The doctor said I’ll be okay in a bit. It’s just a routine childhood illness.” And she over-pronounced “childhood illness” with the confidence of somebody who knew what that meant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But if I could help, would you let me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was quiet for a moment, and Luke thought she might have fallen asleep. But then she nodded. “Okay.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Luke frowned. Focused. He tried to remember how his hand had felt when Ben healed them, and he tried to push that warm feeling to Leia. She stiffened and pushed him away, the string tying them together stretched taught, so he retreated, afraid she would throw him out completely. But then she relaxed and let Luke's memory of the peaceful feeling enveloped her. Luke wrapped his arms around himself and settled deeper into the grass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re so weird,” Leia whispered, but the pinched sound had gone out of it. Now she just sounded sleepy. </span>
  <span>He smiled. They lay in the </span>
  <span>quiet for a long time, and Luke watched the stars spin oh so slowly overhead. Then Leia sighed and drifted closer to sleep. “This is a nice dream, Luke. I don’t have nice dreams very often.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you usually dream about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I can't ever remember when I wake up, but they make me sad. I think they’re about bad things. About people leaving.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like on a trip?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She fell silent and pulled the blanket further up to tuck under her chin before she whispered, “Like your mom.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everybody leaves, Luke. Someday. Maybe not on purpose. Maybe not soon.” She took a shaky breath like she was about to cry. “But even stars die.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could feel it, the weight of some terrible sadness. Leia had lost something, was going to lose something, and the grief of it was so big that it took up the whole sky. Luke wiped at his eyes and found he was crying. </span>
  <span>He didn’t want to think about people leaving. He knew what death was—he’d seen plants die in winter. He’d seen insects die and carried dead birds and tiny mammals to Ben, who helped him bury the little creatures under the flowering bushes. He knew his mother had died a long time ago when he was too little to remember, but that felt different. He couldn't remember it. Leia would have remembered. She seemed like she remembered everything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Luke didn’t want to think about losing anybody. So instead, he thought about his own bad dreams, of how Ben and Father comforted him in their own ways when he knew that they had bad dreams too. Leia didn’t know what the Force was or how to let things go to it like tiny white seed puffs, and he didn't know how to show her. He didn’t think she’d want him to promise to protect her. So Luke squeezed Leia's Imaginary hand tighter, and it felt like she was squeezing back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll feel better someday, Leia. And I’m not gonna leave.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I’m gonna be sick forever,” she murmured, already half asleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He squeezed his hand--her hand. “I'll stay. I promise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No answer. Just a fleeting feeling of reassurance then contentment, and he didn’t need anything else. She was asleep. The Force cradled them both in its infinite arms, and Luke drifted off to its hum and the sound of Leia’s quiet snoring. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you to everyone who has been reading so far!! I've fallen behind on answering comments, but please know I read and cherish them all!</p><p>Luke is at that age where he thinks he can do anything he sees Obi-Wan doing, his own physical health and stature and training be damned. Fortunately, he and Leia are drift compatible, which helps cushion them both from anything going too wrong in their Force-Skype call. </p><p>Ben's POV will come next chapter along with some more plot picking up pace.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Child of Mine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>These children are going to be the death of Obi-Wan.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ben walked down the steps into his reed house, his joints aching and his head aching worse. His worst nightmares had always been the emperor finding Luke. He’d never imagined that it would be Leia who brought the galaxy crashing down. Though she hadn’t yet, she was just a child looking for a friend, and Ben would not allow anything to happen to either of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He paused outside Luke’s door then cracked the door open just enough to check on the boy. But the bed was empty, the blanket tossed aside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>An irrational, familiar fear jolted through him, and Ben threw the door open all the way. “Luke?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben reached for Luke in the Force. The boy’s bright presence was distant, muted, close and far at once like a double image. Drawing back into his own mind, Ben darted out of the house into the dark night and raised his hands to his mouth. “Luke!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No answer but the gentle chirrup of crickets and frogs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought blundered into Ben’s head that Luke had left, crawled out the hole in the garden wall, and followed his sister home. They didn’t know how much danger they were in, what would happen to them if Vader caught them. Or perhaps Vader knew, had come home and taken Luke away and was on his way to get Leia. If he knew about Leia, Ben’s hours among the living were precious few. It didn’t matter that Vader hadn’t threatened to kill Ben in years; he remembered Vader's inferno rage upon discovering Luke, and he didn't doubt it would be even greater on discovering Leia. Death didn’t frighten Ben—he had accepted his own death years ago, might even welcome it now, but it meant Luke would be left alone, and there was no guarantee Vader’s anger wouldn’t seethe over to burn his children or the Organas. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wrestling down a chill of fear, Ben shouted again. “Luke!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a step into the garden then stopped short as the rational part of his mind took over, the part that had kept him alive for over four decades. They hadn’t played hide and seek for a long time, but Luke had been getting better at shielding. Maybe the boy had gone back up to the main house. Maybe he had gone for a late-night wander, though he certainly was supposed to be awake this late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Centering himself, Ben extended his senses and confirmed that Vader was nowhere near, likely not even in the system. His heart didn’t stop hammering, but it slowed ever so slightly. So Ben made his way into the garden through flower beds and groves and footpaths until he reached the far end of the grounds a few minutes later. Then he turned around and walked back toward his house. When he passed by the pond, he noticed a depression in the tall grass about the size of a young boy. Relieved, he waded through the grass and found Luke passed out on the ground, face slightly pinched, and Ben realized the boy had slipped himself deep into a meditative healing trance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frowning, Ben crouched and touched Luke’s forehead. A slight fever. Then he checked the bandages on Luke’s cut hands, but there was no sign of infection there, and a cursory check with the Force revealed no other injuries or ailments. After an early traumatic birth, imprisonment on Mustafar, and repeated exposure to the Dark Side in his father, it was a miracle Luke was as bright in the Force and healthy as he was. The Dark Side followed him like an uninvited guest, standing in the doorway of every grief and hurt, and Ben had spent countless hours chasing it away. Now he laid his hand on Luke’s forehead and reached out with the Force. The darkness was there, looming in the house at the top of the hill, but Luke was bright, his presence doubled and hard to focus on. But focus Ben did, and the single burning sun separated into two stars. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them circled each other like twin suns caught in orbit, a young bond open between them as Luke held his sister in a healing trance. It might have worked too if Leia had any training or Luke had any more, but they were both young and inexperienced and had merely divided the illness between themselves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben covered his eyes for a moment. These children were going to be the death of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben had no bond with Leia, he could not reach out to her easily, but he was connected to Luke and the boy to his sister, so lowered his hand onto Luke’s forehead and let the Living Force flow through him to his ward to Leia like water spilling from one level of a fountain to another. Finally, Luke relaxed and rolled onto his side, fever broken, and his presence detangled from Leia’s until he was entirely himself again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben ran a hand over his face then scooped up his ward and carried him back to the house. The air stirred, and it carried a familiar voice with it. “Are you going to tell him the truth about Leia?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben snorted. “Absolutely not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Qui-Gon made a humming noise deep in his ethereal throat, not condemnation but not approval either. Unhelpful. </span>
  <span>Ben felt his hackles raise. “It is too dangerous. For both of them. If the Emperor ever discovered them, it would be the end of everything.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why do you leave the hole in the garden wall open?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed. “If I separated them, I would lose Luke for certain. And I will not… cannot lose him the way I lost his father.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Such a thing would very likely kill him. But Qui-Gon did not answer, so the gardener walked on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben?” Luke shifted and murmured in his Core accent. "What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Qui-Gon’s presence faded into the garden, and Ben shifted Luke higher in his arms. “You fell asleep in the grass, youngling.”</span>
</p><p><span>“Oh.” </span>Luke yawned into his guardian’s shoulder. “Leia’s sick.”</p><p>
  <span>“I know. You tried to help her, didn’t you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nodded. “She said everybody leaves.” Tired anxiety sparked around him like electricity, and he reached for Ben with the Force. “You’re not going to leave, are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben sent a pulse of reassurance back automatically, careful to keep his own hesitation where Luke couldn’t sense it. Ben had lived in fear of the day Vader would finally take Luke away for good, but he had accepted a long time ago that there were things he could not control. And now Luke wanted comfort. His experience on Mustafar, the painful uncertainty and blundering of Vader’s early attempts at fatherhood, had left him with a deep fear of abandonment that not even his guardian’s constant presence for the past nine years had assuaged, so Ben smiled wearily. “I will not leave you, Luke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Promise?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise I will be here when you wake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That seemed to satisfy the boy, and he began to drift back to sleep. The gardener carried Luke down the steps into the house and put him back to bed. Then he returned to the kitchen where he brewed himself a pot of tea and began to plan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leia returned a week later, and when she popped back through the hole in the hedge, Ben was ready. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Leia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She froze, turned slowly, then bobbed a polite courtesy but eyed him warily like she expected him to throw her out at any moment. He smiled and gestured for her to follow him. “Luke and I were about to start his morning lessons. Would you care to join us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bristled, likely not happy about escaping her own lessons only to be drawn into Luke’s, but she nodded begrudgingly and followed him to the flat area of grass they used as a training ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke was sitting cross-legged on the rock where Ben had left him, eyes closed, meditating, but he grinned wide and opened his eyes when Leia drew closer. “Hello!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia paused and tilted her head to look at him quizzically. “What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Meditating. I’m glad to see you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. What’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke looked at Ben, but Ben nodded back to him, prompting him to explain. It was good for children to learn from each other, and Luke had fewer opportunities than most to interact with his peers. The boy huffed then looked to Leia. “It’s connecting to the Force. Making all your thoughts quiet so you can listen better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To the Force?” She didn’t look impressed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nodded solemnly and pointed to the ground beside him. “Here, I’ll show you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His sister didn’t look impressed, but she plopped down beside him and imitated his posture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes of meditation, Leia began to fidget, so Ben moved them to simple forms. The basics she picked up quickly, and he wondered how much information she and Luke were consciously trading back and forth across their bond. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The children tired about the same time, and he set them loose to play and run amok while he continued to train alone. He had come to terms with the knowledge that the children might not be able to keep each other secret long. They were, after all, children, and if Vader found out--when Vader found out--he would need to buy them time to reach Bail. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later, when Luke had brought Leia into the reed house for lunch, the both of them sweaty and grass-stained and chattering away, Ben gave them both sandwiches then set a carefully folded and sealed flimsi on the table. “Leia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both children paused and looked up at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Mr. Ben?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you go home this afternoon, I need you to take a message to your father.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned suspiciously at him, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>worry worry fear</span>
  </em>
  <span> flickered through her. “What kind of message?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, my dear. I have no wish to get you in trouble. But I knew him a long time ago and would like the chance to say hello.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” She looked down then back up at him. “Are you gonna tell him I’ve been playing with Luke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think that you should be the one to tell him that. Don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess.” Leia bristled with steel defiance remarkably similar to her parents, and the memory panged for a moment before he brushed aside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Now, Luke and I have had a talk about your visits, and I think it is only fair if you understand the rules as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rules?” She opened her mouth to argue, but Ben raised his hand to stop her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you would like to do as you wish, but there is real, actual danger in your being inside these walls.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia hesitated then glanced at her brother. “Is… is Luke in danger too?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke stared at her like she’d taken leave of her senses. He had been too young to remember Vader as his worst, when the Dark Side howled around his father like a maelstrom, the cold rage and hatred. Now the boy only knew the tempered Vader, the one who read him to sleep and taught him to disassemble droids and worshiped at the ground he walked on. But Luke's surprise didn’t seem to assure Leia at all, so Ben answered instead. “Not at the moment, but it is good of you to be concerned for him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, because my mama could help. She—“ Leia hesitated. “She helps a lot of people.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m certain she does.” And someday he would need it, once they were both a little older, and he had a chance to teach them what he could. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you come here, you will join Luke’s lessons, similar to what we did this morning. He cannot fall behind, and I think you would benefit from the same instruction.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia looked annoyed but nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will never speak to the troopers that patrol outside this house, and you will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>come when Luke’s father is here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How will I know if he’s here or not? I thought he was gone all the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke jumped in. “I’ll tell you! I’ll put a flag in the window of the big house so you can see it from over the wall. If it’s out, you will know it’s safe to come to play. If it’s not there, you have to stay away until I put it back out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia’s face slowly lit up. “Like a signal!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, exactly! Like when we play rebels!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben suppressed the urge to cover his face with his hand. Of course, Leia and Bail were involved with whatever rebels Vader was routinely tasked with tracking down. What he hadn't expected was for her to start teaching Luke about them. He sighed. This only complicated things a bit. He could manage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Leia seemed brought around to the idea of rules now, and she fixed an intent look on the gardener. “Okay. What else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben held up one finger. “If I tell you to leave, you must go home immediately. No arguing. No questions. If you and Luke break any of these rules, I will block up the hole in the garden wall and not allow you to come back.” She looked about to argue, but he shook his head. “This is for your safety as well as Luke's, Leia. Do you understand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stared at him for a long time, using the Force to try and test how serious he was. She likely didn’t even know what she was doing—it would read to anyone else as uncanny insight--but Ben allowed her to peer past his shields to see how dead earnest he was. Then the little girl nodded and stuck out her hand. “Okay, Mr. Ben.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook her hand solemnly. “Now then, be off with the both of you before I find chores for you to help with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not it!" Luke shrieked and bolted out the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, that's cheating!" Leia scrambled a moment, stumbling up the stairs before she was on his heels, and the door banged behind them as they went shrieking down the garden path. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling fondly, Ben shook his head. "These children are going to be the death of me."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*air horn noises* it's Obi-Wan anxiety attack hours!! Featuring some light indications of Vader improving as a person even if he's not quite far enough to convince Obi-Wan he won't regress back to raging Sith. </p><p>I am working on a series of one-shots set between this story and Nothing Grows, and I'll start posting those as part of this series sometime in the middle of July. Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. But It Pours</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"There’s been things going on outside as you house people knows not about."<br/>Or <br/>This isn't the worst day of Bail and Breha's life, but it's a strong contender.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>As Leia trotted home, she unfolded the flimsi that Ben had given her. It was crisply lined and the handwriting was smooth. It was rude to read other people’s mail--she knew that--but she was practicing being a spy, and if Ben was writing her parents about her, she deserved to know what he was saying. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hello Bail, </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I wish I were contacting you under better circumstances, but the Force has seen fit for our paths to cross again. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Luke is safe. His father discovered us on Tatooine and moved the boy and me to Alderaan about nine years ago. I had not realized where we were so close to allies, or I would have tried to warn you. Leia discovered us quite by accident, so try not to fault her too badly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Since I am certain Leia will read this note before delivering—</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She gasped and crunched the note in her hand. So Ben knew how this spy game worked too. Well, she’d already started reading, so she might as well finish it. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Since</span>
  </em>
  
  <em>
    <span>I am certain Leia will read this note before delivering it, I will say only that Luke’s father remains ignorant of Leia’s presence and her identity. I believe separating them would be a futile exercise, and if she continues to visit, I can begin her training. She is a very strong girl, and I believe it would be in her and Luke’s best interest for her to be trained. I will, of course, honor whatever decision you and her majesty make. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Respectfully, </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>O. Kenobi</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned. What was all </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>supposed to mean? At least Ben wasn’t trying to get her in trouble, but how did he know her father? And what did her father know about Luke? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then her gaze fell on the signature at the bottom of the page—O. Kenobi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stopped walking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenobi. Like the general? Like the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jedi</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Ben was really Obi-Wan Kenobi, why wasn't he working with the rebellion? Or may he was, and playing gardener for some Imperial admiral was just a cover. But what about Luke? Did Luke know his guardian was spying on his father? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia squinted at the note, trying to read between the lines to figure out what secrets this former general could be passing to her father, but even after rereading it, she couldn't puzzle anything out. The "trained" bit sounded exciting. Maybe he was training Luke to be a spy too and had seen how good she could keep secrets. A drip hit the flimsi and smeared the B in "Bail" slightly. Another drip hit her forehead, and she looked up at the sky that was overcast with thick grey clouds. Leia stuffed the note into her pocket and ran the rest of the way home. It was raining for real by the time she reached the palace and scrambled up one of the balconies and into the sunroom, flopping onto the dry floor in a little puddle of wet skirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leia?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Papa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia sat up. He was supposed to be on Coruscant in the Senate still, but he sat on the sofa with Mama like they had been talking when Leia flopped over the balcony. Both of them stared at her with a little confusion, but Papa gave a bemused smile and held out his hand. "Why were you out in the rain?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Papa. Hi, Mama.” She scrambled to her feet, dripping on the tile. She shut the glass door behind her to block out the rain. “When did you get home?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A few hours ago.” He was wearing his palace clothes already instead of his Senate robes, so he had been home for a while. Despite how soggy she was, he spread out his arms to invite a hug. “I missed my hello from my favorite daughter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She huffed at his joke and squished across the rug to hug him. ”I’m your only daughter.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” He held her tight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Papa, you're squishing me." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let her go and glanced at Mama before raising an eyebrow at Leia. “Now, where have you been, young lady?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Out playing.” She couldn’t get in trouble for fibbing if she was technically telling the truth. Then she remembered the note in her pocket. It was probably soaked. “Um… Papa? Do you know what happened to Obi-Wan Kenobi? From the Clone Wars?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both her parents looked surprised. “General Kenobi? Well, he disappeared at the end of the war. Why do you ask?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The princess frowned and slipped her hand into her pocket. Something told her he wasn’t fibbing, but maybe it was the same way she wasn’t fibbing either. Not lying, but not quite all true. Maybe she should hide the note until she figured out the secret message. That way Mama and Papa couldn’t tell her to not play with Luke. But it might be important, and she wanted to know so badly. And if her parents knew that she figured out Ben was a spy and that he wanted to teach her to be a spy, they would </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to let her help with the rebellion. They'd have to. Leia held out the note. “Because I know he's a spy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*** </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bail had been home for all of three hours. Just enough time to wash off the travel and sit down for a moment with his wife before their daughter crawled onto the balcony in the middle of a rainstorm like some very small burglar demanding to know about Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now, he watched as his daughter offered him a note with something like triumph in her face. The Senate has been in session half its regular time, and something had clearly changed with Leia. Bail glanced at Breha, who gave him a bemused look. So they were both confused then. He took the crumpled note and unfolded it. “Leia, sweetheart, is there something you want to tell us…” He trailed off as he read the running ink on the page.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hello Bail, </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I wish I were contacting you under better circumstances, but the Force has seen fit for our paths...</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Obi-Wan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He read the letter once, twice, held the flimsi with two hands beginning to shake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke. Vader has found Luke. He had found Luke and brought him and Kenobi to Alderaan. Nine years. They had been in walking distance for nine years with no one knowing, and Leia had found the and was playing courier. How had this happened?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked back to Leia, his brilliant, beautiful girl with no idea how much danger she was in. What Vader would do to her, to Breha, to Alderaan—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bail?" Breha laid a hand on his wrist. "What's wrong?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He balled the damp note up in his fist and shoved it deep into his pocket. He had to keep his head. According to Obi-Wan, Vader had no idea about Leia. But if the former Jedi had been keeping his son and his old master prisoner for almost a decade, perhaps he’d made Obi-Wan write those things—no. Bail had to stay calm. The letter had been deliberately vague, and he needed more information. He laid his hand over Breha's hand holding his wrist and looked at his daughter, trying to keep his building panic in check. “Leia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled smugly. “Yes, Papa?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where did you get this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben gave it to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben?” Breha asked, a note of carefully controlled fear in her voice. She hadn't read the letter. She didn't know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s Luke’s gardener. He's General Kenobi, isn't he? That's why he knows you.” Leia asked, chin raised in triumph. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Squeezing his wife's hand to reassure her and himself, Bail threw her a glance. Her brow was furrowed, but she had always been the wiser of the two of them, and he needed her desperately. “And where do Luke and ‘Ben’ live?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something flickered across Leia's face, and Bail knew she was considering lying. She had never lied to them before. His heart panged. It didn’t matter. He was going to take her and Breha to the furthest corner of the galaxy and hide them somewhere safe, somewhere Vader would never find them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, she said, “In the riverside district.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bail shut his eyes. Within walking distance. They had been so close all this time, living in whatever hell Vader had trapped them in. Luke... the image of a little boy with Leia's soft face and bright eyes sprang into Bail's mind, and his heart wrenched. If they could be rescued, if there was any chance at all… He took the note out of his pocket and handed it to Breha, who took it with both hands and began to decipher the bleeding script. Then he looked at his daughter. “Leia. Ben said that Luke is safe. Is that true?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A look of confusion crossed her face, and she nodded slowly. "Yes. Why?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How did you find them?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I went for a walk and--"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Breha gasped, and the damp flimsi tore in her hands. Bail whipped his head toward her. "Breha--"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Leia Organa." The queen's voice was as iron and steady as the life support glowing under the collar of her gown. "How long have you been sneaking off?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All triumph gone, the little princess looked away and mumbled. Breha leaned closer. “I didn’t hear you, darling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seven weeks.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bail and Breha shared a horrified look. How had their daughter been sneaking all the way down to the Lake District for two months without anyone noticing? But Breha's heartbeat had been steady for twenty years, nearly as long as she'd been queen, and she wouldn't lose her head. She stretched out a hand and brushed Leia’s wet hair back from her face. "You should not have kept this from us, Leia."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their daughter hunched her shoulders. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, my heart. Go to your room and stay there until I send for you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia snapped her head up, eyes flashing in sudden defiance. “But, Mama—“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do not argue with your mother," Bail said sternly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But you and Mama have secrets! Why shouldn't I have one?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because you are </span>
  <em>
    <span>young</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Leia. You have no idea how much danger you are in." Good stars in heaven, where was this coming from?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can take care of myself."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We are not going to argue with you, Leia. Go to your room."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!" She stood straight, and thunder rolled outside, rattling the windows slightly. "I figured it out; you </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to tell me about the rebellion. I'm not a little kid anymore."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Enough. Go to your room." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No. Tell me! Or, or I'll run away!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bail got to his feet. She had no idea what she was asking--demanding. She had no idea the danger or the sacrifice required, the agonized conversation her parents had shared in the dead of night weighing their involvement against their daughter's safety, maybe even her life. They would not let her throw that away by running straight back into Vader's lair. They would rescue Luke and Obi-Wan, and Leia would be far, far, far away from any of it. "You will not be leaving this house again."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes widened then narrowed in anger as she balled up her fists and shouted up at him. "What? That's not fair!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I do not have to be fair, Leia; I have to keep you safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why? Why isn't it safe? Ben said it was okay for me to come back in the note. We have rules!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leia—“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another boom of distant thunder shook the windows, but Leia was focused on her parents. “Luke's so lonely, Mama. All alone in that big house with no mother and a father that’s always gone and just the gardener to love him. I’m his only friend! You said we’re supposed to help people that need us.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are,” said Breha. “And we are going to help them, but whatever Obi-Wan told you, it is not safe for you or Luke in that house. We cannot let you go back.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia covered her ears and backed out of reach. “No! No, I won’t leave him again!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Breha went ashen, and Bail felt his head go light. “Again? Leia—“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!" Leia shut her eyes and screwed up her face like she was in pain. "No, no!" The lights flickered, the windows trembled, and the hair on the back of Bail’s neck stood on end as electric static filled the air. What in stars’ name? Heart pounding, Bail reached for his daughter. “Leia—“ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She screamed, and the lights burst, showering sparks on the room. Bail gasped and dragged Breha against his chest, hunched over her reflexively as the window shattered and spewed glass. Rain and wind blew into the room, and another roll of thunder boomed over the palace. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then it was over, as quick as it started. The window lay in a million pieces scattered through the sunroom, and rain pooled on the tile and pattered on the furniture. The blue curtain dangled from the half torn down and flapping in the wind, and overhead the broken lights dripped sparks from the high ceiling. At the center of the mess stood Leia. A circle of clean floor surrounded her like the glass and rain had bounced off some force field and left her untouched, but she stood rigid and wide-eyed, hands still clasped over her ears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bail felt his stomach sink, a frigid feeling in his gut, and his pulse roared in his ears. Steadying Breha with one hand, he reached for his daughter with the other. “Don’t move, sweetheart. The glass. You’ll cut yourself.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Startled, she drew back from his hand. “I’m sorry!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry?" The cold feeling in his gut got colder. She hadn't--How could she have-- "Leia, it’s not your fault."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry!” And she bolted out the broken window into the rain and disappeared over the balcony. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leia! Leia, come back here.” Breha moved to follow, but glass crunched under her sandal, and she hissed and doubled over. Bail caught her, but she tried to slip his grasp. “We have to go after her, Bail; she’s going to get hurt.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you hurt?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She's out there by herself--"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you hurt, your </span>
  <em>
    <span>majesty</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” He would go after Leia, but his queen was bleeding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His shift to a more formal tone made Breha pause and look at him, and she looked down at her cut foot angrily. “It's nothing. But you're bleeding.” And she gestured to his arm, and he realized his sleeve had been cut just above the elbow and was stained red. It must have happened when the window blew. It stung, he realized, but it didn’t feel deep, and he had more important things to worry about. He guided her back onto the sofa. "I have to go after her. Tell Matias to call our last-resort contact."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gripped his tunic then tugged him closer and pressed a determined kiss to his lips. “Bring her back safe,” she murmured. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door slid open, and the two guards posted to the family wing rushed in, blasters at the ready. “Your majesty. What happened?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Breha pushed him toward the window. He squeezed her hand then went out the broken window into the pouring rain and down the mountainside after his daughter.  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Obi-Wan burned six previous versions of that letter before he finally landed on a version that said "hello i'm sorry we're going to die" in a way he didn't think Leia could puzzle out only to have her jump to WILDLY the wrong conclusion. </p><p>Poor Leia is experiencing some side effects of having cool new Force powers without very much training. Are Bail and Breha a little startled? For sure, but they're not going to let a little thing like fritzing-out Force powers stop them from taking care of their daughter. I cannot stan them hard enough.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Return to the Fold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leia runs back to the garden, and Bail and Breha get help from a friend who might be able to tip things in their favor.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Leia slipped and scrambled up the hill to the house and banged on the glass door. “Luke! Ben, let me in!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t know why she’d come back to the garden, all the way down the mountainside in the pouring rain and thunder and lightning. Papa had been chasing her trying to take her home, but it was so dark, she’d lost him after a few minutes. She couldn't go home. She couldn't. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No answer. She banged louder. “Luke! Please!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t go home. If she went home, she would never get to come back, and she couldn’t, wouldn’t leave Luke here. Mama and Papa had been so scared, and it made her scared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lightning crashed overhead. With a shriek, she yanked on the door, and it slid open. She stumbled inside and slammed the door shut. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke?” Her voice echoed back to her in the huge empty house, and she stood dripping on the threshold until lightning flashed bright as a supernova behind her. With a yelp, she sprinted upstairs to Luke’s room, but it was empty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke? Luke, it's me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When no one answered, Leia checked the room across the hall. It was a soft brown and bare like it wasn’t ever used, so she tried the next door. It was open too, but inside that room instead of a bed or furniture was an empty bacta tank and other medical equipment including a powered-down medic droid. It looked more like a hospital than a bedroom. Lightning flashed again, flashing bright through the tank and casting a spindly shadow like a ghost. Leia gasped and slammed the door shut. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heart thundering, she stood panting in the hallway. Part of her was curious, that nagging voice in the back of her head that wanted to know secrets so badly. But the medical table looked scary, and all the hand-shaky adrenaline of sprinting down the mountainside was wearing off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was so tired and cold. She just wanted to sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia went back to Luke’s room, the most familiar and the safest feeling, and fumbled around until found a light. The room was empty, but the curtain over the portrait of Luke’s mother stood open, and the woman watched Leia with. The girl borrowed some of Luke’s pajamas out of his closet—they were soft and cottony—and she hung up her wet dress and leggings in the refresher to dry. Then she rinsed out her mouth in the sink, undid her wet, tangled braids, and crawled into the bed. There was a little cloth bantha, yellow with age, but it was soft and made her feel better so she curled up and tucked it under one arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was so tired. Maybe Luke had left. Maybe his father had come and taken him and Ben away, and she would never see them again. Maybe Mama and Papa would send her away for being bad and keeping secrets. Leia’s lower lip trembled, and she ground the heel of her hands into her eyes. She hadn’t meant to break the window. She didn’t know how, but she knew she had done it, and it had hurt her parents. If that was what the Force was, she didn’t want it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia curled tighter and around the toy bantha and fell into a dead sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the small hours of the morning when Bail finally trudged back into the palace. No sign of Leia. He’d slipped and tumbled all the way down the mountainside to the houses along the river chasing the grey-white of her dress by lightning light, only for her to disappear into the dark. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bail stopped in the hall, his pants dripping water and mud loudly on the tile. He’d lost his outer robe somewhere on the mountainside along with any peace of mind he’d ever had. The guards who had turned out to help search shuffled behind him, but he was too exhausted and too worried to pay them much mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cila, one of the household staff, approached him with a dry blue robe in one hand and a towel in the other. “Your highness.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Cila.” He took the towel and held it over his face, too tired to truly dry himself off, but he waved the robe away. “I just need a moment then I’m going back out to look for her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir, the Queen has asked to speak with you in her office.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bail frowned and lowered the towel. “She’s still awake?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, your highness. I don’t think she could sleep with the worry. She has a guest, but she gave instructions to go right in.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A guest. Had help come so soon? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right, I’ll go speak with her.” He made his way to his wife’s office and knocked once, was answered with a soft “come in,” and he pushed open the door. Inside the wide, curved office was lit by a single lamp, and near the desk, Breha stood with a tall Togruta woman. The queen looked worn in the lamplight, worry lining her face as she turned to face her husband. “Did you find her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. He was, he realized, still dripping, but that was the least of his concerns now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stranger turned to him. “Your highness.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fulcrum. Thank you for coming so quickly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was in the area.” She crossed her arms over her armor breastplate. “Your message said this was urgent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bail glanced at Breha, and she nodded grimly. Fulcrum had been a Jedi once, though who exactly she was had been lost with the Purges. He wasn’t sure how she had survived, but he was glad she had. He nodded. “Desperately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The queen’s been telling me about Leia’s gifts and that she's disappeared. I assume you’ve asked me here to teach her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The parents exchanged looks, and Breha folded her hands and shook her head. “We had hoped to ask for your help with that in a few years; unfortunately, there’s a more urgent problem that’s arisen.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our daughter has--" Bail sighed. “--</span>
  <em>
    <span>discovered</span>
  </em>
  <span> that Vader has been keeping Obi-Wan Kenobi and his son prisoner a few klicks from here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fulcrum stood straighter, and her eyes widened. “Obi-Wan?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The worry in her voice caught him off guard. She was young, he realized. A young adult forged in war and unspeakable loss, but the tough exterior of the rebel agent cracked at the mention of the Jedi master. Had she been old enough to fight in the Clone Wars, to know the general personally? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wished they still had the note Obi-Wan had sent, but between being drenched and torn in half, it was useless now. “Yes. We had no idea until a few hours ago. We have to rescue them, but Leia’s run off, and I’m certain she’s gone to find them.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned. “Then we’ll have to rescue all of them before Vader returns.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Can</span>
  </em>
  <span> they be rescued?” Breha asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fulcrum raised her chin, and that old Jedi resolve lit her face. “Yes. I’m getting them out of there.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luke woke up in the early morning grey and blinked at his surroundings in confusion before remembering. He was in his room in the hut in the garden. Last night he had broken a plate during dinner and sobbed uncontrollably as he apologized. He didn’t remember it super well or why he’d been so upset, but he thought he might have fallen asleep on the floor while Ben sat with him. Now Luke was just a little groggy from sleeping so hard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He climbed out of bed, changed his shirt, and padded out to the main room where Ben sat cross-legged on the floor meditating in the early morning light. Luke sat down next to him and began to meditate too. The Force was calm after the storm, and Luke felt calmer too. Not quite at peace—there was something prickling at the back of his neck and he didn’t quite know what it was—but he felt better than he did last night during the storm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he roused from his meditation, Ben opened one eye and smiled warmly. “Good morning. How are you feeling?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad. You seemed very upset last night. Do you want to talk about it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke frowned and thought for a moment before he shook his head. “No. I think I’m all better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben tousled his hair. “If you’re certain. Are you going to help me clean up the storm’s little tantrum? It made quite a mess of the garden.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke nodded. They ate breakfast then went outside where little tree branches strewed the ground. Some of the vegetable supports were knocked over or torn up, and some of the grass was flattened. It didn’t seem fair that the ray shield let rain and wind in but didn’t let them out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He bent down to grab one of the sticks then stopped. “Ben? I’m going to fetch my gloves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The gardener nodded, already holding an armful of debris. “Good call, my young friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Luke trudged up to the house and to his room where he fetched his gloves from the closet. He was just about to head back outside when a quiet shift on the bed caught his attention. He turned toward it, more curious than afraid, and he saw a lump under the covers. A Luke-size lump, fast asleep in his bed. He crept closer and looked down to see Leia fast asleep and hugging his toy bantha. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned down and bumped his forehead against hers in a hello, and she opened one eye and blinked against the light. Then she focused on him, gasped, and sat up. “Luke!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a step back. For politeness. “Hi, Leia. What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke!” She threw her arms around him and hugged tight. “You came back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where would I have gone?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know. But you were here last night, and I thought maybe your father had come back and taken you away."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh. No, I was in the reed house with Ben." He looked aorund. "Did you sleep here all night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I… I’m kind of in trouble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The image of a shattered window and a floor littered with glass pressed itself into his mind, and he saw a tall man bleeding from a cut on his arm and a smaller woman reaching for her daughter. Oh. Leia had been very angry. Father said his anger made him stronger, but Ben said that kind of anger ate a person up inside like a tree gone to rot. They'd had to cut down one of the wispy trees because the insides had gone bad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was hard to make them both happy at the same time when they said opposite things. It made his stomach hurt sometimes. But Father wasn’t home right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ben says learning from our mistakes is how we learn wisdom.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia didn’t answer, just kept hugging Luke, so he hugged her back and gently patted her hair and waited for her to say what was wrong. She didn't seem like her insides had gone bad. She just seemed sad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a long time, Leia exhaled shakily. “They weren’t going to let me come back to see you ever again, and I got so angry.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cold fear jolted through him. They were going to take her away, and they’d never see each other again, and he’d be all alone again. He couldn’t let them. Luke held her tighter. “I won’t let them take you away, Leia. You can stay here with me and Ben.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia exhaled against his neck, and it tickled. “What if your dad comes home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you can hide in the reed house. Ben doesn’t ever let him go down there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Luke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re squishing me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luke let go like he’d been burned. “I’m sorry.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay. It was an accident.” Leia sighed and hung her head. “I think I need to go home. My parents will be worried about me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cold fear crept back into Luke’s heart. “Will you stay and play for a while first? Just for a little bit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For a little bit.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ahsoka followed a dirt path stamped with stormtrooper prints. It wound past the high walls of the estates that bordered the rivers and lakes at the foot of the mountain, and it would have been a pleasant walk if she weren't strolling through an area populated almost entirely by imperials and their guards. The walls were tall and heavy, ostensibly for privacy but really for security, but the Alderaani garb the queen had lent her made Ahsoka look like a local out for a stroll, and the loose sleeves concealed her twin lightsabers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Organas had explained that, somehow, their daughter Leia had stumbled onto wherever Darth Vader had been holding Obi-Wan and his son prisoner for the past few years. The little princess had broken past security enough times to make with this Luke, and after accidentally destroying a window the previous night, Leia had run off into the night. Both the Queen and the prince consort were convinced she had run back to Luke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leia was Force-sensitive and untrained, so Ahsoka kept her senses open for any sign of another light in the Force. And for any Sith. The Organas had no idea what kind of security Vader had concocted to keep Obi-Wan imprisoned, but the last thing she wanted was to run into any inquisitors. Vader was supposedly off in the Outer Rim bringing wayward systems to heel, but the intelligence on that was days old at best. Hopefully that meant Obi-Wan and his son had been given a respite from whatever horrors the Sith had kept them alive for. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the thought of the Jedi master, she faltered. She’d been so certain that he was dead. That her grandmaster had died on Utapau during the Order, as Anakin had died in the Temple. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he was alive—alive with a son. Organa had implied a blood relation, but Ahsoka couldn't help wondering if the boy was really a youngling who had fallen into Obi-Wan's orbit of responsibility like she had once. It would have made her laugh if she didn’t feel half-sick. Nine years. Nine years they’d endured Force only knew what--and she’d had no idea. When she got her hands on that Sith bastard—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A branch caught Ahsoka’s sleeve and tugged her gently to a stop. Carefully, she untangled herself and looked at the wall that had caught her. It was the same looming height as all the others, but this particular garden wall was overgrown by a dense web of vines hanging down from where they grew over the wall to put down roots again in the free air and begin the climb back up. A ray shield flickered faintly at the top.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Low to the ground was a hole in the wall, not just in the vines but in the durasteel wall behind it. Quite a security risk for a ray-shielded house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She crouched down and realized the hole was larger than she’d thought. Perspective and a trick of the light, maybe, that made it seem so small. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the other side of the tunnel was lush green grass, glimpses of flowers and trees alive with the Living Force. It hardly seemed like the kind of place a Sith would hold anyone prisoner. But it called to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had taken her a long time to trust the Force again after the end, but it had never failed her. If it was leading her here, she needed to listen. Ahsoka had to lie down on her stomach to avoid knocking her montrals on the top of the hole, but she pulled herself through on her elbows until she was through the wall and into the secret garden. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inside the walls was a flourishing landscape of trees and ponds and pathways, birds from across the galaxy flitting about and pollinator insects humming from flower to flower. Everything was still green and wet from the thunderstorm the previous night, and a few branches had been blown off the trees to scatter the grass. At the top of the hill stood a house like a sentinel brooding over the grounds with hollow eyes. It made her stomach turn to look at it, which told her she was on the right track. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ahsoka scanned for surveillance or guards or tripwires, any indication Vader was prepared for visitors. But she saw nothing, and the Force gave no warnings. Still cautious, she advanced further into the garden. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was about halfway up the hill when a shriek echoed through the air. It sounded like a child. Ahsoka took off toward the noise, afraid of what she’d see. It could be a trap, probably was a trap. Maybe Vader had caught Leia and wrung the truth out of her. The Sith was a monster, and she was going to—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She burst through a wall of bushes. A dark-haired little girl and a sandy-headed boy stood thigh-deep in a pond, splashing each other and shrieking with laughter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ahsoka skidded to a stop, and the children swung to look at her. The laughter stopped. The girl grabbed the boy’s hand, and he stepped in front of her, chin raised as he looked up at the intruder. “Who are you?” he demanded in a clipped Coruscant accent that sounded suspiciously like Obi-Wan, though he didn't look a thing like the Jedi master. Her suspicion about a necessary adoption seemed about right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she didn't answer, the boy scowled. “How did you get into my house?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Force hummed around them, content. No trap. No danger. Just two children standing in a pond in the middle of a garden, in a Sith prison, staring at her with curiosity and confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke?” She held up her empty hands in a friendly gesture of surrender. “Leia?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl grimaced slightly. A right guess then. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ahsoka smiled. “My name is Ahsoka Tano. I’m here to rescue you.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello! Sorry about the erratic posting schedule; July and August have been and will continue to be crazy irl, but I've been working away on everything and hope to get back to regular updates soon! Thanks for your patience and for bearing with me. </p><p>Bail isn't lying about Luke per-say. He's just very tired and exploiting some vague pronouns so he doesn't have to explain anything at 3am. This story also happens 5-ish years before Rebels, so Ahsoka doesn't know about Anakin being Vader or his children.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Friend in Need</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The miscommunication escalates. No one in this garden has any idea what's going on, Force help them, but that's never stopped Ahsoka or Obi-Wan before.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke narrowed his eyes at the tall Togruta lady who had burst out of the bushes and watched them from the pond bank. He had never seen a real Togruta before. She was very tall with blue and white lekku and a white dress like Leia’s. had sharp teeth that flashed when she smiled, but there was a line of worry between her eyes. The Force was bright around her like Leia and Ben, but she had hidden like her whole self was a secret. </p>
<p>She smiled, baring her sharp teeth. “My name is Ahsoka Tano. I’m here to rescue you.” </p>
<p>Rescue? What was she supposed to be rescuing him from? Luke waited for a beat, and Leia stepped closer to him. It made him feel brave. “Who sent you?”</p>
<p>“Friends of your father’s. He asked them for help. Where is he, Luke?”</p>
<p>He narrowed his eyes. Father didn’t ask for help ever. “You’re lying.”</p>
<p>She took a step closer and put a hand over her heart. “I’m not lying, Luke. I’m with the rebellion.” </p>
<p>Leia gasped with excitement and dove past Luke to scramble onto the bank. “A rebel?”</p>
<p>“No, Leia!” He grabbed for her, but she was already on the bank and peering up at Ahsoka. </p>
<p>“Are you really a rebel?”</p>
<p>The woman nodded. “I am.”</p>
<p>“Tell me something only a rebel would know.” </p>
<p>But Luke didn’t care about rebels. Rebels were problems, and Father wouldn’t have sent one. He wouldn’t have sent anybody. </p>
<p>“Leia, she’s lying!”</p>
<p>But his friend just looked at him like he didn’t know anything. Why didn’t she understand? If Father hadn’t sent Ahsoka, then somebody else had, and she was trying to take him away from his home. From Father. From Ben. </p>
<p>He needed help. Luke reached for the gardener with a desperate <em>help me help me find me</em>, threw out his hand and shoved, and the Force knocked the stranger into the bushes. Luke leaped out of the pond, grabbed Leia’s hand, and took off toward the reed house. “Run!” </p>
<p>“Luke,” Leia hollered. “Stop it!”</p>
<p>But he didn’t stop. He kept running, and his heart thundered in his chest. “Ben. Ben, help!” </p>
<p>He could hear Ahsoka calling for them, but he dragged his friend through the garden as fast as their short legs would go, ignoring the paths for a more direct line through bushes and flower beds. Ben would know what to do. He always knew what to do.</p>
<p>*** </p>
<p>Ben was planting tubers when Luke’s fear rang in the Force. Terror jolted through him, and he scrambled to his feet and reached back. The boy wasn’t hurt, just terrified in a way Ben hadn’t felt in years, but before the gardener could send a reassurance, he heard Luke screaming around the house. “Ben! Ben, help!” </p>
<p>Someone was in the garden. </p>
<p>Ben called the rake to his hand and sprinted in the boy’s direction. If one of the stormtroopers had come into the grounds against express orders, he was going to—</p>
<p>Luke burst out of the dangling branches of a willow with his sister in tow and a terrified look on his face. “Ben, help! She’s trying to take us away.” </p>
<p>What in blazes was Leia doing here? The girl was wearing Luke’s clothes, and both of them were barefoot and dripping wet and shouting over each other. </p>
<p>Luke and Leia threw themselves into his legs and pointed toward the pond. “There’s a lady in the garden!”</p>
<p>“What?” Ben snapped his head in the direction Luke pointed. “Who?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know. She said Father asked her to come here, but she’s lying. I know she’s lying.”</p>
<p>“But she’s a rebel,” Leia protested. “She was telling the truth.” </p>
<p>“No,” Luke shouted. And then they were yelling over top of each other again, so loud the entire riverfront must have heard them. Ben held out his hands to quiet them. He needed to know what was going on, and he needed to know now. </p>
<p>“Leia, did your parents send someone with you?” </p>
<p>“No!” Leia shook her head with a flush that looked like guilt, but he didn’t have time to address it. </p>
<p>He’d dreaded this day--the day Vader tired of keeping his son secret, the day the emperor finally found the truth. It didn’t matter which. If someone was in the house, Luke was in mortal peril.</p>
<p>“Leia. Take Luke home, now. Do not stop until you get there.”</p>
<p>“What?” Luke shouted. “No, I’m not leaving you!” </p>
<p>The bushes rustled. Too late. Ben shoved the children behind him and brandished his weapon. He hadn’t killed anyone in a long time, and the garden tool was no lightsaber, but he would die before he let some Sith pawn put a hand on the twins. </p>
<p>A tall Togruta woman stepped out of the greenery and stopped short when she saw him. “Obi-Wan?” </p>
<p>She was strong in the Force and half-familiar, but Luke’s fear was howling in Ben’s ear, and he gripped the rake tighter. “I suggest you leave.” </p>
<p>She raised a hand in a conciliatory gesture. “Master? Don’t you recognize me?” </p>
<p>He narrowed his eyes, but she tilted her head, and the howling gave way to recognition. Oh. Oh, Force. A wave of grief washed over him, and he lowered his improvised weapon. “Ahsoka?”</p>
<p>She was a ghost. She had to be. Blast. He shut his eyes for a moment and felt the sorrow surge through his chest up to his eyes, and he pinched the bridge of his nose and allowed himself a moment of grief. Then he shuddered and opened his eyes. “Ahsoka, I am so sorry. I thought—I had hoped you had been spared.” </p>
<p>Luke knocked into Ben’s leg, pointing. “That’s her. She’s trying to take me away!” </p>
<p>So Luke could see her. That was an interesting development considering not Qui-Gon had only managed a voice only and to Ben only. But Ahsoka had always been a talented padawan. Ben sighed and laid a hand on the boy’s head. “It’s all right, Luke, Leia, she won’t hurt you. She’s an old friend.” </p>
<p>Luke blinked wide eyes then stared at Ahsoka, who crossed her arms. The boy didn’t seem like he quite believed it, but he stayed staunchly by Ben’s leg and eyed her warily. Ahsoka raised her gaze from Luke to the gardener, and a sad smile tugged at her lips. She had grown so much since he’d last seen her, taller than he was with long lekku and short montrals covered with jagged stripes. “It’s good to see you, Obi-Wan.”</p>
<p>He smiled. “You look older.” and still too young to be another ghost in his garden. </p>
<p>She snorted. “I could say the same about you. Are you planning to hit me with that?” </p>
<p>He looked at the gardening tool in his hand and shook his head. “No. No, I was afraid you might be someone else. What are you doing here?”  </p>
<p>“I’m here to rescue you. And your son.” </p>
<p>His son? He looked down, and Luke mirrored his quizzical look. Ghosts weren’t exactly omniscient, but that seemed a strange assumption to make. “What do you mean rescue? It’s not as if we can leave.” </p>
<p>It was her turn to look confused as she crossed her arms. “We can, and we will. There’s a hole in the garden wall, and we’re leaving through it. Right now.” </p>
<p>He shook his head. “Ahsoka, I know you mean well, but if we leave, Vader will hunt us to the ends of the galaxy. Luke isn’t ready for that.” </p>
<p>“I’m not scared of Vader.”</p>
<p>“Of course not.” Did she know? How could she? “But the children and I are still very much flesh and blood, and we can’t just run off into the galaxy with no plan and a Sith Lord on our heels.” </p>
<p>“Flesh and—Obi-Wan, I’m alive. I’m really here, see?” She grabbed his wrist, and a chill realization washed over him. She was real. Not a ghost at all. She scrutinized his face. “What the kriff has he done to you?”</p>
<p>Luke and Leia gasped at the same time. “You swore!”</p>
<p>Ben gripped Ahsoka’s wrist back. She was alive. She was alive, she was—Oh, Force. Vader would kill her. Or worse, he’d lock her away with them, and they’d all be trapped forever. He couldn’t let that happen, not to Ahsoka. Vader had ruined enough lives. “You have to leave. Now.”</p>
<p>A measure of relief flickered across her face, though the concern lingered. “Finally.” </p>
<p>Ben grabbed the twins and pushed them toward her. “Take the children to Bail and do not stop until you are all the way across the galaxy. I’ll slow Vader down for as long as I can.”</p>
<p>Luke squawked. “Ben, what are you—“</p>
<p>Ahsoka sliced the air with one hand. “No! No, I am not leaving you here.” </p>
<p>He opened and shut his mouth then glared. She really had no idea what they were dealing with, but he couldn’t, couldn’t explain. Not now. It was more dangerous for them all to be together, Luke hadn’t completed his training, Leia had barely begun hers. It was too soon to move against Vader now. </p>
<p>“I don’t know what happened to you, Obi-Wan, but you’re leaving with us if I have to knock you out and carry you.” </p>
<p>And he could see that she meant it. He’d only be an encumbrance, and if they were to escape, they couldn’t afford to be slowed down. “Very well. But we must go, now.” </p>
<p>“Ben, what is going on?” Luke demanded. “Are we running away?”</p>
<p>The gardener sighed and went down on one knee and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Yes. Yes, we’re going to visit Leia’s parents.”</p>
<p>Luke brightened. “Really? Leia, do you hear that? Can I meet your mother?” </p>
<p>Leia nodded enthusiastically, and Ben had to draw Luke’s attention back to him. “I need you to pack a bag as we practiced.”</p>
<p>“The going-on-a-trip bag?”</p>
<p>“That’s right.”</p>
<p>The boy’s face fell into worry, and he retreated into himself. “Oh. Oh, Father is going to be very angry.” </p>
<p>Ben smiled gently. “You let me worry about him. Now go pack, quickly.” </p>
<p>“You’re coming, too?”</p>
<p>Ben glanced up at Ahsoka, who was watching them both closely, and he sighed and nodded. “I am.”</p>
<p>Luke nodded but still didn’t look quite convinced. He threw his arms around his guardian’s neck and squeezed tight. “Don’t leave without me.” Then he let go and gestured to his sister with a “Come on, Leia,” and the two of them sprinted off toward the main house. </p>
<p>Once the children were out of earshot, Ahsoka turned to Ben and crossed her arms. “What did he mean ‘Father will be angry’?” </p>
<p>“I’ll explain later. I need to grab a few things.” Ben led Ahsoka to the reed house where he went into his bedroom and tipped the bed up on its side and brushed away the dirt to reveal a wooden board. Under the board was a shallow hole, and from it, he removed two packs with enough supplies for him and Luke to last a week. He threw one over his shoulder and handed the other to Ahsoka. </p>
<p>Ahsoka. </p>
<p>He had thought she was dead for so long, had believed she was another ghost like Qui-Gon until she’d touched him. But she was here and alive and in terrible danger. If Vader knew she was alive, he’d kept it to himself. An ugly anger churned in Ben’s chest, but he gritted his teeth and let it go. </p>
<p>Vader could be anywhere in the galaxy, and if he caught them all, everything was over. Everything Ben had done to protect Luke, everything the Organas had done to keep Leia safe, whatever hell Ahsoka had been through to survive would all a waste. He would not let Vader destroy that too. </p>
<p>“Bail said he was your son.”</p>
<p>Ben gritted his teeth. He'd almost forgotten that Bail was a politician used to slanting the truth, but even as the gardener opened his mouth to deny it, he realized why the Organas might have tried to smoke-screen Luke's identity. “Would you leave him here if he wasn't?”</p>
<p>Ahsoka glowered. “Of course not. He’s just a kid.”</p>
<p>“Good. Then I promise, as soon as the children are safe... do you still have your lightsabers?” </p>
<p>She raised her shoulders. “Sort of.</p>
<p>“Sort of?” He raised an eyebrow. </p>
<p>“I have new ones.”</p>
<p>“I see.” Though he didn’t. He moved to leave the reed house, but Ahsoka put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. “Obi-Wan. I didn’t know about you. Or Luke. I’m sorry I didn’t come for you sooner.”</p>
<p>“It’s not your fault, Ahsoka. But if something goes wrong, Luke and Leia are what matter. Whatever happens, you must protect them from Vader and the emperor. They are our only hope.” </p>
<p>She nodded solemnly. “I will. Just don’t get any big ideas about sacrificing yourself because I don’t think Luke would ever forgive me.” </p>
<p>“I would never,” he scoffed. </p>
<p>She smiled. “Sure, master.” </p>
<p>They climbed out of the reed hut and turned toward the hole in the wall. Luke and Leia hadn’t returned yet, but they needed to reconvene and leave immediately. </p>
<p>A familiar presence cut him off—cold and tired and getting closer. Ben jerked short and whipped toward the house. “Blast. We're too late.”</p>
<p>Ahsoka touched his shoulder. “Obi-Wan?” But she seemed to notice it too, and her nails dug through his tunic. “What is that?” </p>
<p>Vader.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Luke pried up the floorboard in the library and retrieved his secrets box, dumping the contents into a satchel he normally used for collecting flowers and rocks. If they were running away, really running away forever, then he couldn’t leave his secrets behind. Then he and Leia ran to his bedroom, and he grabbed his bantha and Boga off the messy bed and stuffed them into his bag. </p>
<p>He threw open the door to his workshop and stared at the half-built TC droid on the bench. It wasn’t finished enough to come with them. It had to stay behind. </p>
<p>He and Ben had practiced this packing fast for an adventure, but it had always been a game. They’d talked about other places in the galaxy Luke would get to see someday, but he had never been outside the garden wall. He had wanted to go with Leia so bad it had ached when she offered, but now that this Ahsoka--who really was a rebel--had broken in and convinced Ben to run away, and Luke was scared. </p>
<p>Where were they going? Were they ever coming back?</p>
<p>“Luke? Are you okay?”</p>
<p>He sniffed and realized he was crying. Leia patted his shoulder, and he nodded. Then he paused and looked up at the parted curtains at the portrait of his mother. She had been watching over him for so long, it felt strange to think he might never see her portrait again. “Hello, Mother. We’re running away, all of us, and I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again. But I love you. I am going to miss you.” </p>
<p>Leia took his hand and stood with him for a moment. He sniffed again and smeared at his eyes. He didn't want to go, but he didn't want to get left behind. At least he’d be with Leia and Ben. </p>
<p>“Okay. I’m ready…”</p>
<p>A familiar presence clicked in his head. His hands fell to his side, and his satchel slid from his shoulder to a heap on the ground. </p>
<p>“Luke?” Leia squeezed his hand tighter. “What’s wrong? What… what is that?” </p>
<p>“Father.” He grabbed Leia. Ben said it was dangerous for Father to know about Leia, that he’d keep her from ever going home or seeing her parents again. Luke had to protect her. Her eyes went wide, but Luke was already dragging her toward the workroom. He shoved her inside with the TC droid and grabbed the door. “Stay here. Stay very small. I’ll distract him.”</p>
<p>“Luke, what if he—“ </p>
<p>“It’s going to be all right, Leia.”</p>
<p>He slammed the door shut and sprinted out of his room so hard he slid across the hall and into the wall. Father was going to be so angry. Scrambling, he sent Ben a help me help me help me and hoped the gardener knew what to do. Luke reached the top of the stairs and skidded to a stop, catching himself on the top of the handrail, and he realized his pants were still wet and rolled up from playing in the pond.</p>
<p>Below, Father stood in the living room, surveying the space and still wearing his helmet and the big cape that made the moffs afraid of him. He was a big, cold presence that turned all the air in the room icy and made the Force dim and quiet like the garden waiting for an incoming storm to break.</p>
<p>“Father.”</p>
<p>The icy haze turned toward him, and Father turned toward him. “Luke.” He extended one gloved hand, and the Force settled heavy on the boy’s shoulders in greeting. “I have come home.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Enter Vader! Only took 20,000 words, but our favorite Sith Lord is here to cause many problems. There is a chapter coming where Ahsoka and the twins finally get some information/straight answers, but they all have to get out of the house alive first.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the kudos and comments! I haven't had a chance to respond, but please know I read them all. I'm @acollectionofhalftruths over on Tumblr if you'd like to say hi!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Ask Me No Questions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Face-to-face encounters and close calls with Vader in the house.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have returned a month late with only this 3k Scooby Doo hallway gag to show for it. Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vader stood in the center of the living room looking up at his son. His son.</p>
<p>Luke leaned on the handrail at the top of the stairs, hair askew, barefoot, one pant leg rolled to his knee. He was slightly out of breath and looked like he’d been playing outside at some game rowdier than he was used to, but his eyes were wide. It had been a long time since Vader had come home, and he intended to spend every moment with his son.</p>
<p>He extended his hand to beckon his son closer. “Luke. I have come home.”</p>
<p>Luke smiled, but Vader hesitated. There was something… different about the house. Something elusive that he could not quite put his finger on, but it gnawed at him. Perhaps the furniture had been moved. Perhaps…</p>
<p>“Father!” Luke blurted. “Catch me!”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>Instead of running down the stairs like he usually did, Luke sprang up onto the handrail with the agility of a Teth glider squirrel and did even catch his balance before he threw himself from the railing. Vader lurched. The house shook as he thundered two steps and threw out his arms, grabbing for the boy with the Force. Luke fell into him with a grunt, and Vader rocked on his feet before catching himself. Once he was certain Luke was safe in his grasp, he glared down at the boy. “Do not do that.”</p>
<p>“But you caught me.” Luke looped one arm around Vader’s neck. He was nearly ten standard years old, but he was still small and easy to carry, and the older he grew, the more Vader suspected Luke would always be slight. He had his mother’s build, a premature birth, a difficult stint on Mustafar after Vader had discovered him—his fault, the Dark Side accused. His fault, his fault.</p>
<p>“Father? Is something wrong?”</p>
<p>Luke sniffed, and Vader noticed his son’s eyes and nose were discolored and puffy like he had been weeping. The Sith frowned. His return should have been a cause of joy not tears. “You have been crying.”</p>
<p>“No.” Luke shook his head stubbornly.</p>
<p>“Do not lie to me, my son. Are you ill? Have you hurt yourself?”</p>
<p>Luke sagged in his hold and wrapped both arms around his father’s neck, burying his face in Vader’s shoulder and mumbling, “I missed you.”</p>
<p>Vader sighed. This was Luke’s default when he did not wish to talk about something. He could not lie, so he merely avoided the question. It did not matter. Vader would find out the truth soon enough. He hugged Luke back, careful not to crush his small frame. “I missed you as well.”</p>
<p>Luke squeezed his neck then leaned back to look his father in the face. Or in the mask, as the case was. “Tell me where you went. What did you do? Did you go somewhere new? Did you bring me any new holobooks?”</p>
<p>“Patience. I will tell you. But where is Obi-Wan?”</p>
<p>Luke blinked. “He’s outside.”</p>
<p>Vader turned to look out the wide windows into the garden and saw only the endless dense trees and flowers Obi-Wan had thrown himself into tending the past few years. It was an unexpected hobby, one that irritated Vader’s respiratory system more often than not, but it kept the old man out of trouble, and it seemed to be good for Luke. Still, Obi-Wan would have sensed his arrival, and the least the old man could do was greet him after a long campaign. “Hmm. Were you outside as well?”</p>
<p>Luke looked down at his damp, messy clothes. “I was in the pond.”</p>
<p>Another vague answer. Vader frowned, carried the boy to the couch, and settled down with Luke beside him as he ran a gloved hand over the boy’s bright blond hair. “Something is troubling you. What is it?”</p>
<p>Luke opened his mouth then shut it and looked outside. “Are you going to take your helmet off? I’m not sick.”</p>
<p>“If you wish.”</p>
<p>With a smile, Luke hopped to the floor and ran to the environmental controls to dim the lights and lower the shades. Then he disappeared into the kitchen, and the sound of running water followed while Luke muttered some sing-song rhyme Vader recognized as a song the Jedi younglings used to sing. Anger flared in Vader’s chest, but he smothered it to an ember. Otherwise, Luke would sense it and ask the reason, and Vader had no desire to discuss the Jedi. Not now. Not ever. He and Obi-Wan would discuss it later when the Jedi deigned to show his face.</p>
<p>Then Luke came running back, his face and hands all pink and damp from cleaning, and he settled back on his father’s knee. Vader reached up and undid the fasteners that held his helmet in place. A long hiss of air and the warm rush of the loss of pressure hit his lungs and made his breathing catch as it always did. Then his mechanical lungs took over, and he laid the helmet and its red lens aside, blinking against the dim light. Once his eyes adjusted, he peeled off the heavy helmet base that sat around his neck and laid it beside the helmet. Removing the heavy chest plate or gloves would require the hydraulic arm system in his room upstairs, but at least he was face to face with his son.</p>
<p>Luke gently laid his hand on his father’s forehead atop one of the long-healed scars. “Hello, Father.”</p>
<p>Vader smiled. “Hello, my son.”</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>The Force was heavy and still with the Sith nearby, waiting for something to break, and it wasn’t going to be her or the family she’d just gotten back. She reached for her lightsabers, but Obi-Wan grabbed her wrist. “No. Vader is too powerful.”</p>
<p>“You and I can take him.” She had managed to stay out of Vader’s way since his sudden appearance a decade ago, but she had taken inquisitors and won, and she wasn’t afraid of any Sith. Obi-Wan wasn’t thinking clearly—he’d thought she was a ghost, seemed resigned to his imprisonment. But she was getting them all out of here if she had to cut off Vader’s head to do it.</p>
<p>But Obi-Wan held her wrist tighter. “I don’t have a lightsaber. If he finds her here, it doesn’t matter where we go or how far we run. He will hunt us all to the ends of the galaxy. We have to get Leia out of the house before he discovers her.”</p>
<p>She hesitated. There was something else going on here, too much, and she hated being blind in situations like this, but she’d have to wring the answers out of Obi-Wan later. “And if he’s already found her?”</p>
<p>He pressed his mouth into a grim line. “If Vader had found Leia already, we’d know.” He gestured for her to stay. “Stay out of sight. I’ll get Leia outside, and you must get her to safety.”</p>
<p>She grabbed his tunic. “I’m not letting you go into that house alone.”</p>
<p>“Ahsoka, please. I’m accustomed to dealing with Vader, and as long as neither of you is spotted, Luke and I are in no immediate danger. You must trust me.”</p>
<p>She stared at him for a long moment then nodded. “Fine. But if you aren’t out of that house in five minutes, I’m coming in after you.”</p>
<p>He smiled. “It is good to see you again, Ahsoka.” He spun on his heel and took off toward the house.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Ben ran to the side of the house where his unused bedroom looked out over the garden. He crouched and leaped onto the window sill and nearly slipped from the water left from the previous night’s storm, but he caught the window frame and held himself steady. Using the Force, he unlocked the window and ducked inside.</p>
<p>Downstairs, Luke was fervently regaling Vader with the details of the new vegetable plot, talking much louder than Ben was accustomed to hearing the boy speak. Hopefully, Vader was too glad to be home and too tired to notice how nervous Luke was.</p>
<p>Ben crept to the hall where Luke’s door stood open, and inside a packed bag lay in a heap on the floor. He scooped it off the ground and slung it over his shoulder. “Leia,” he whispered. “Leia, are you here?”</p>
<p>The door to the workshop creaked open. “Ben?”</p>
<p>“Quickly, dear. We must get you out of here.”</p>
<p>“What about Luke? Lord Vader is downstairs! Luke has the Force; he’s in danger.” Her face contorted in fear, a child scared for her friend.</p>
<p>Ben pushed open the door the rest of the way and offered the girl his hand. “Vader will not hurt him. But you must leave now, or you and Luke will both be in danger.”</p>
<p>“But—“</p>
<p>“I swear to you, Leia. Luke will be all right as long as you leave right now.”</p>
<p>Not looking quite convinced, Leia grabbed his hand, and he led her toward the hall and spoke in an undertone. “We are going out of the window, and our new friend will take you home.”</p>
<p>“You’ll come back for Luke, right?”</p>
<p>Her loyalty was a relief, but right now it was also a liability. “Don’t worry, I will not let Vader hurt him.”</p>
<p>There was a heavy creak on the stairs. “Obi-Wan?”</p>
<p>Damn. “What?” he shouted.</p>
<p>A beat of silence. “Are you not going to come say hello?”</p>
<p>Vader sounded mildly annoyed, not truly angry, which meant he couldn’t suspect anything was amiss. Ahsoka had to be shielding herself well, but there were too many ways this could go wrong. Ben’s heart thundered in his ears as the stairs creaked again. “I’m busy. I’ll be down in a moment.”</p>
<p>Luke’s muffled voice drifted through the door, and Leia looked at Ben like they were about to be tossed out an airlock. He pulled her to the purple curtains hiding Padme’s portrait, dropped Luke’s bag in her arms, and gestured for her to be quiet. Pale, Leia nodded and slipped behind the curtains. The door hissed open and in stepped Vader sans his helmet, Luke close to his side and practically hanging off his father’s elbow.</p>
<p>Ben crossed his arms and stepped in front of the just-stilled curtains. “Vader.”</p>
<p>The Sith squinted. He looked so much like Anakin even now, the same hard set to his jaw and mouth like he was thinking. It was hard to tell if he had aged because his skin was pale as death and crisscrossed with long-healed burn scars, and the dark circles under his eyes gave him a drawn look like he hadn’t slept properly in weeks. He probably hadn’t.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?" Vader asked, his voice hoarse from switching to his internal respiration. "Luke said you were out in the garden.”</p>
<p>“I’m—“ his gaze flicked to the growing green things nestled around the room. “Tending Luke’s plants. I'll be down in a moment.”</p>
<p>The mechanical lungs whirred in Vader’s chest. “You could at least say hello.”</p>
<p>Ben planted his feet, hoping Leia would have the sense to hold still. “Hello then.”</p>
<p>Vader laughed, a rasping sound closer to a cough.</p>
<p>“Father?” Luke interrupted. “Will you take me flying in your TIE fighter again?”</p>
<p>Vader dropped a hand to the boy’s hair and smiled fondly. “Tomorrow I will, as much as you want. Shall we work on your droid tonight? I think we can finish him before I leave again.”</p>
<p>“How long will you stay?” Ben hardly dared hope Vader would be gone soon.</p>
<p>“At least a week.”</p>
<p>Luke’s face lit up then fell and he looked up to Ben with a lost expression. They would have to delay their plans then. Ben waved a hand dismissively at Vader. “Luke, if your father doesn’t want to take you flying, then perhaps you should show him your droid.”</p>
<p>Luke blinked then seemed to realize and tugged on the mountain of a man towering over him. “Come see. I did the optics while you were away.”</p>
<p>“By yourself?” Vader stood straighter, pride ringing in his voice, and he followed his son willingly into the workroom. Once he was out of Vade's line of sight, Luke describing his work in breathless detail, Ben ushered Leia across the hall to the open window in his room. “Stay here and be very quiet. Understand? I will be back in a moment.”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“Good.” Then he stepped back into the hallway and made his way downstairs. Their chance of getting everyone out of the house was long dead; now he just had to get Leia and Ahsoka out of the garden before Vader caught on.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Ahsoka crept up the house using the dense vegetation as cover. Luke had closed the shades, which hid her better from Vader but left him alone with the Sith. The boy seemed surprisingly at ease around his captor, which reassured her slightly that Vader might not be torturing the poor kid.</p>
<p>She spied Leia in one of the second-story windows, so she slipped from the cover of the trees, picked a stone out of the grass, and lobbed it at the window pane. “Leia.”</p>
<p>The girl jumped then leaned out the window with a panicked expression. “Ahsoka. Ahsoka, it’s Lord Vader! He’s here. What are we going to do?”</p>
<p>Ahsoka held a finger to her lips—they still needed to try getting out of the garden without being caught—then raised both her hands and gestured for the girl to jump. Leia’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. Ahsoka gestured more insistently, and Leia swallowed then pushed the window all the way open, swung her legs over the sill, and began to lower herself down. It would still be about a fifteen-foot fall, but Ahsoka reached out with the Force to steady the girl and—</p>
<p>Leia slipped with a yelp and plummeted.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>A muffled shriek echoed from across the hall, and Vader’s head snapped up from the worktable. “What was that?”</p>
<p>Luke stammered, turning wide eyes on Obi-Wan, but the Jedi made a loud scoffing sound and went back to picking at his plants. “That damn bird again.”</p>
<p>“Bird?” Luke and Vader chorused.</p>
<p>“Yes. One of the birds has picked up imitating Luke. You can imagine the stress it’s been causing me recently.”</p>
<p>Vader could imagine, but something wasn’t sitting right. Leaving Luke’s impressive work behind, he emerged from the workshop and headed for the hall.</p>
<p>“Vader, really—“</p>
<p>But he ignored Obi-Wan and strode downstairs, steps creaking under his weight, and made his way to the shades. The sunlight would sting his eyes, but if he was going to be home as long as he planned, he couldn’t have some bird imitating Luke’s cry of distress every hour of the day. As if he didn’t have enough bad dreams.</p>
<p>“Don’t!” Luke shouted. “Don’t hurt it!” He threw himself against Vader’s leg and latched on tight.</p>
<p>“I am not going to hurt it, Luke,” Vader said, already planning to wring the bird’s neck.</p>
<p>“Really, Vader, give it a few moments, and it will fly away.” Obi-Wan stood halfway down the stairs, a familiar look of disapproval on his face. Always disappointed.</p>
<p>Fine. If there was no way to keep the old fool happy, he’d do what he wanted. Vader yanked open the shades. Nothing. No bird. No intruder. Just the hazy green of the gardens.</p>
<p>Obi-Wan was on the first floor now, gesturing to Luke. “You’re a mess, young man. Go change.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.” And Luke bounded up the stairs.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Ahsoka held Leia under one arm with her other hand over the girl’s mouth as they both hunched against the house wall. They could hear Vader, Luke, and Obi-Wan all talking inside but the glass was too thick to make out anything specific.</p>
<p>Ahsoka waited until the ponderous weight of Vader thumped away from the window before she set Leia down. There was a startling amount of dense plant life she realized, almost like Obi-Wan had planted it for cover. Maybe her grandmaster hadn’t given up after all.</p>
<p>She squeezed Leia’s shoulder. “You make a run for home while I create a distraction. Classic rebel maneuver.”</p>
<p>Leia nodded solemnly, her face still colorless from her fall. “What about you?”</p>
<p>“I’ll be okay. You have to warn your parents about Vader, and I’ll be right behind you with Luke and Obi-Wan.”</p>
<p>“But what if he catches you?”</p>
<p>Ahsoka winked. “Vader couldn’t catch me if he tried for a hundred years.”</p>
<p>That bravado had worked more times than Ahsoka could count, and it worked again as Leia steeled herself. Then Ahsoka leaped onto the window sill and ducked half inside before she heard Leia’s frantic steps receding into the garden.</p>
<p>No, no, she was going too soon. “Leia!” she hissed. But the girl was already halfway across the lawn, and Ahsoka watched in horror only hoping the princess was fast enough.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Vader narrowed his eyes and peered out the window. “What is he doing out there?”</p>
<p>Obi-Wan snapped his head in the direction and spied Leia running across the grass. His heart leaped into this throat, and he surged to his feet to stand in Vader’s line of sight. The Sith waved a hand for him to move aside, and Obi-Wan did “How did he get outside? He just went upstairs.”</p>
<p>“He must have left something at my house. I’m sure he’ll be back.”</p>
<p>Vader squinted, and Obi-Wan realized Leia was still wearing Luke’s clothes and was just outside Vader’s range of unaided vision. Thank the Force. Obi-Wan exhaled shakily and threw open the door. “Luke!”</p>
<p>Leia stopped short and looked back at him in terror. He waved and spoke slowly. “You’re all right, Luke. And I will join you shortly. Be as quick as you can.”</p>
<p>Her gaze flicked to Vader, pale and unhelmeted and oblivious, but she nodded sharply then sprinted off into the bushes. Obi-Wan watched her go, hoping Ahsoka would listen and leave. He yanked the door closed then the shades down and turned back to Vader. “What were we talking about?”</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>“You’re all right. Luke and I will join you shortly. Be as quick as you can,” Obi-Wan called haltingly.</p>
<p>Ahsoka clenched her jaw, but Leia took off again and vanished into the greenery. Ahsoka glanced into the house then back to the garden. She had a chance to get Leia home undetected, but she hated the idea of leaving Luke and Obi-Wan behind to make their own way.</p>
<p>As much as she hated it, she had to be strategic. She hadn’t survived a decade as Fulcrum by making impulsive, stupid decisions. Leia had to be gotten home safe and undetected. Vader had clearly done something to Obi-Wan to make him shy from a pitched fight with the Sith, and while Ahsoka knew she could handle Vader, she couldn’t take the Sith and get everyone out if she wasn’t sure Obi-Wan and Luke would go.</p>
<p>Ahsoka cursed under her breath. She’d have to come back for them with reinforcements. Ahsoka sprinted through the garden to the wall and found Leia running back and forth along the wall, poking at the vines.</p>
<p>“Leia? What’s wrong? Where is it?”</p>
<p>The girl turned to her with a stricken look. “It’s not here.”</p>
<p>Ahsoka’s stomach dropped. “What?”</p>
<p>“The way out. It’s gone.”</p>
<p>Ahsoka double-checked for herself, and where she had come through in the shade of a tall tree, the wall was solid all the way through and heavily overgrown with vines. Where the kriff had it gone? Ahsoka lit one saber and jabbed it at the wall, but it bounced off a ray shield with a shower of sparks that caught little bits of the grass on fire. She stamped them out and gritted her teeth.</p>
<p>So much for their exit plan.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I got about 5,000 words further in story after the last chapter and absolutely hated the way the story turned, so I've rewritten it and think this will be much more fun. </p>
<p>Thanks so much for sticking with me over the unintentional mini-hiatus!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. I'll Tell You No Lies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Some important questions get asked, and all of them get answered... from a certain point of view.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ahsoka pinched the bridge of her nose with a groan. Their exit was gone, vanished apparently from where it had been less than an hour earlier, and Obi-Wan and Luke were still in the house with the Sith Lord who had kept them prisoner for a decade. </p><p>“What are we going to do?” Leia’s voice trembled slightly, but she had her fists balled and her chin raised. She was a tough kid for a princess. </p><p>Ahsoka looked up to the house and narrowed her eyes. Obi-Wan had asked her to trust him. She might not know what had happened to him the past decade, but they agreed on the children's safety. She had to trust him to take care of Luke and himself. For now. </p><p>They needed a new escape route, and she didn't have one since cutting her way through the wall was no longer an option. They'd have to see about disabling the ray shield. Right now she had to get Leia out of the open.</p><p>Ahsoka pointed into the garden. “Come on, we’ll hide in Obi-Wan's house until they come back out.” She and Leia made their way to the little reed hut out of sight of the house and shut the door. It was surprisingly sturdy, but it wouldn't hold long against a lightsaber. Inside, they sat down at the table, and Ahsoka allowed herself to relaxed if only a little. Leia swung her legs under her chair and stared at the floor. Something was clearly bothering her. </p><p>“What’s on your mind?”</p><p>Leia knitted her forehead into a hurt scowl. “Luke lied to me.” </p><p>“Why do you say that?” Ahsoka leaned back in her chair. </p><p>“He never told me Vader was his dad. He should have told me.”</p><p>Given how evasive Bail and Obi-Wan had been on the subject, it wasn’t surprising Luke had hidden his identity. Ahsoka nodded solemnly. “Yes, he should have."</p><p>"I'm mad at him."</p><p>"That's natural. Maybe he was afraid that if he told you, you would leave and not come back.”</p><p>Leia huffed. “Of course I would have come back. But maybe we all wouldn’t be in so much trouble.” </p><p>That was true. Ahsoka was going to have a serious talk with Obi-Wan if she saw him again. But to the child, she gave a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, Leia. Everything is going to be fine.”</p><p>“Are you saying that because you think it? Or because you’re a rebel and rebels can’t ever give up hope?” </p><p>Ahsoka tilted her head. “You seem to know a lot about rebels.”</p><p>Leia grimaced. “Not really. My parents won’t tell me anything about them, but I know things. I listen.” A breeze rattled the window shutters, and she jumped. “What was that?”</p><p>“It’s just the wind. I know you might be afraid, but I'm going to get you home one way or another. It might just take a little time.” </p><p>Leia didn’t look entirely convinced, but she tucked her legs under herself and got up on her knees to be taller. “Tell me about the rebellion. You have lightsabers. Are you a Jedi? Have you always been with the rebellion?” </p><p>Ahsoka allowed herself a small smile. If Bail and Breha had kept things from Leia, she didn’t want to undermine them too badly, but keeping Leia distracted seemed like the best option to keep her from panicking. Nothing like a panicked, barely trained Force Sensitive to draw Vader's attention. Once Obi-Wan came back to his house, they would devise another plan of escape, but for now, they were all stuck here. So she went to the cupboards and rifled through them until they gave up some tea and some kind of powdered brown drink mix that smelled sweet. She prepared them both and handed the dark frothy drink to Leia while keeping the tea for herself. “All right. What do you want to know about rebels?” </p><p>***</p><p>The afternoon came and went, and in the evening, Ben reluctantly left the house, Luke's evening routine in his father's hands. Vader still seemed blissfully ignorant of their interlopers and had been only mildly irate with the old gardener all day, a small price to pay for Leia and Ahsoka's safe escape. Now Ben stood in the evening cool of the garden with his head hung low and his arms folded across his chest. He was tired. </p><p>With his every exhale, the Force shivered around him like it too felt the chill in the evening air and the watchful gaze of the house on the hilltop. He sighed, and it rattled from deeper inside him than he intended. “Qui-Gon.”</p><p>No answer came, but he knew the old ghost was listening. With some effort, Ben raised his head to the night sky and the familiar constellations. Infinite space stretched overhead, confined by the high garden walls and stopped from spilling down out of the skin into the garden by the faint blue sheen of the ray shield. </p><p>“I am afraid today was a disaster. I never should have let Leia come back.” </p><p>But if Leia had not come back, Ahsoka would not have come looking for her. He wouldn't know she was alive. Alive. They were gone now, thank the Force. He didn't doubt Ahsoka would return for Luke as well, and that was more than he had dared hope in a long time. </p><p>A small chirrup caught Ben’s attention. A little red-breasted bird sat hunched in the grass, the wane moonlight shining off its deep blue wings. It flapped, landed, flapped again like it wanted to take off but was held down. Slowly so as not to startle it, he crouched. “What are you doing here, little one?”</p><p>It shied away from him, fluttering hard as it could, but a long black string held it tethered to the earth. The children must have tracked the thread into the garden from somewhere. </p><p>“It’s all right.” He held out his hand, and the bird hopped to the full length of the string trying to avoid him, watching him with one bright black eye. Carefully, slowly, he wrapped his hand around it, and it struggled a bit before it went still in his hand so he could examine its tangled foot. “Hmm. Yes, it seems you’re quite trapped.” After he ran his thumb over the bird’s head a few times to calm it, he unwound the string and tucked it into his pocket. Once the creature was free, Ben opened his hand, and the bird flew away, heading not for the protection of the nearby willow but toward his house where it hopped across the ground in front of the stairs before flitting away. </p><p>That was odd but not much odder than he was accustomed to. He descended the few steps to his house and pushed open the door, and there seated at his table and drinking his tea were Leia and Ahsoka. Leia raised her head. “Hi, Mr. Kenobi.” Her face creased with worry, and she craned her neck to look around him. “Where’s Luke?”</p><p>He stopped in his tracks, and slowly, his hand fell from the door to hand limp by his side. "Ahsoka."</p><p>The Togruta moved to her feet and folded her arms. “Obi-Wan. We have a problem.” </p><p>***</p><p>While Obi-Wan retreated outdoors to sulk, Vader put Luke to bed. He considered going after the old fool, arguing with him for the hundredth time about the ridiculous separate residence he insisted on, but the Sith decided against it. He was tired, in desperate need of a night of rest, and there would be plenty of time to fight with Obi-Wan later. For now, he sat on the couch in Luke’s room and read one of the boy’s holo novels to him—a story about a space pilot exploring a mysterious nebula in search of a rare purgill. Some of the vocabulary seemed a little advanced for Luke’s age, but he always had been voracious for knowledge. The datapad had large text so Vader could read it without requiring his helmet. </p><p>Luke lay propped against his father’s side, hardly any weight at all against the layers of armor. A blanket was tugged up almost to the boy’s chin, and as he listened, he fiddled with the ear of a cloth animal toy. What the aged creature was supposed to be or where it had come from, Vader had never really been sure, but Luke insisted the fraying, patched thing was a bantha. Vader had replaced it a dozen times over--all manner of stuffed creatures lived in the toy box at the foot of Luke’s bed--but Luke was inordinately attached to it. If it made his son happy, he supposed it didn’t matter. Vader read on. </p><p>In the middle of an exciting flying scene, Luke raised his head. “Father?” </p><p>“Yes?” Vader lowered the datapad. </p><p>“Can…can...” Luke fiddled with the animal’s ear, and his desire to ask for something rippled in the Force. Finally, it bubbled out of him and he blurted. “I want to go outside.” </p><p>Vader sighed so deeply his mechanical lungs clicked. “We have discussed this. You and Obi-Wan may ‘camp’ for months on end while I am away, but when I am home, you will sleep in your own room.” </p><p>“But—“</p><p>“No.” </p><p>Luke slumped lower and looked away, half hiding his face behind his toy. Irritation flickered in Vader, irritation that his son preferred some grass hut to the warm, comfortable, safe house his father had provided. Perhaps it wasn’t about the house. Perhaps… an old insecurity raised its head, and Vader knew it was foolish, but it persisted, already smoldering. He laid the datapad on the end table and looked down at his son. “Luke, do you prefer Obi-Wan’s company to mine?” </p><p>Face pinched with confusion, Luke craned his neck to look up into Vader’s face. “No, Father.” </p><p>“Why else would you want to leave the house?” Maybe he had been gone too long. He had allowed Luke to imitate Obi-Wan’s speech, to learn the ways of the Force, to follow the Jedi everywhere. Vader clenched his fist. Of course, Obi-Wan has stolen first place in Luke’s heart, just as he’d stolen him all those years ago—</p><p>Eyes wide, Luke wriggled out from beneath his blanket and sat up, touching Vader’s arm so lightly he might have been one of the little red birds that lived in the trees outside. “Please don’t be angry, Father. I like it when you’re home.” </p><p>“Then why do you want to go outside?” </p><p>“I meant... outside the garden.” </p><p>Vader stopped. His lungs stuttered then caught and exhaled hard. He took Luke’s hand, and his gloved fingers engulfed it entirely. His son’s hand was so small. “What?”</p><p>Luke blanched and looked away. “It’s stupid. Forget I asked.” </p><p>Familiar protectiveness howled to life in Vader’s chest, clawed at his insides. Luke didn’t understand what it was like out there, what the garden walls protected him from. Rebels and inquisitors and illness and Vader's own master--every kind of awful death that could snatch Luke away. “It is not safe for you out there.” </p><p>“But wouldn't it be if you went with me?” his son mumbled. “Or Ben?” </p><p>Where was this coming from? Luke had shown interest in the outside world before, devoured encyclopedias and holo novels and stories with eagerness, but he had never asked for more than a vague promise to see the galaxy someday. Why the sudden change? Surely Obi-Wan--Vader narrowed his eyes. “Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan put you up to this.” </p><p>“What?” Luke’s befuddled look turned to horror. “No--”</p><p>“He did.” Vader stood, and his hold of Luke’s hand shifted to gripping the boy’s wrist. “He told you to ask me to let you go.” </p><p>This was why they had been acting strangely all day; they were planning to leave him. He had come home just in time. A day later, and they might have been gone. To return to an empty house--his mechanical lungs inhaled hard. He had been too lenient. Now Luke was slipping from his grasp, and it was Obi-Wan’s fault. </p><p>Luke leaned back, his speeding pulse obvious even to Vader’s gloved hand. “No, he didn’t. It was stupid. I’m sorry; I won’t ask again.” </p><p>But the possessiveness had sunk its teeth into Vader’s heart, and he tightened his grip. “Are you not happy? Have I not given you everything you asked for? Luke, do you not love me?”</p><p>“Of course I love you, Father.” Luke looked wounded, but Vader moved to his feet. He would not lose his son. He refused. He had all the power in the galaxy, and he would not be thwarted by the schemes of an old man and a child. The Dark Side flooded the room, hungry and howling. The windows quivered, and the boy leaned back, his shoulders hunched around his ears. Afraid. </p><p>He was scaring his son. Shame and anger twisted in his chest. Vader let go of his son’s hand and took a step back. Then he clenched his fist. “You will stay inside tonight.”</p><p>“Father--” His son stared at him with huge eyes, mouth downturned with reproach, and Vader cursed himself. Not even home for a full day and he had grieved Luke. </p><p>"Good night, my son.” Vader turned on his heel and swept from the room. The door hissed closed behind him, and he stormed to his own room where he did not bother to turn on the lights, only ordered the medical 2B droid to begin preparing his tank. He would make it up to Luke. Somehow. He could not let him go, but somehow, he would make amends. </p><p>***</p><p>Luke watched his father go, the Force churning in his footsteps like a bubbly tar pit. It burned angrily and stuck around long after Father was gone, and Luke knew if he tried to sleep it would give him bad dreams. Usually, when the Dark Side found him and caught on to him, he could ask Ben for help chasing the bad dreams away, but if he went outside, Father would only get angrier. </p><p>Luke blinked and scrubbed at his eyes for a moment. He couldn't go outside, and he couldn't stay in his room. Time for a compromise then. He gathered up his blanket and his bantha and stopped at the top of the stairs. Down the hall, the quiet mechanical whir of the med droids at work meant his father would not be making an appearance until morning, so Luke carried his blanket and stuffed animal downstairs to the sofa where he curled up and looked out into the dim garden. Maybe if he reached out to Leia--but no. She didn't want to talk to him. He could feel it. He hated it when people were angry with him. He rolled over and held his bantha close and fell into an uneasy slumber. </p><p>***</p><p>Apparently the Force was no interested in allowing Leia and Ahsoka to leave, which meant they would have to find another escape solution. That solution, and the accompanying worries and dangers however, neither Ben nor Ahsoka was interested in discussing in front of Leia. </p><p>“I’m not tired—“ But an ear to ear yawn had betrayed Leia, and the child swayed slightly in her seat. Ben had heard that argument before. It took some convincing, but eventually, Ahsoka and Ben were able to persuade Leia to go to sleep in Luke’s room. It had been a long day for all of them, but Leia was still growing and needed her rest, and her questions about rebels and Vader could wait until morning. For all her protests, Leia was fast asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.</p><p>Ahsoka exhaled a small laugh. “She’s stubborn.” </p><p>Like her parents. He was used to the similarities with Luke, but seeing Anakin’s scowl and Padme’s determination from Leia was still a new sting he hadn’t gotten used to. He pulled the door closed and wondered if Ahsoka recognized those two in their children. It seemed so painfully obvious to him now, but he had never had much cause to worry about it before. </p><p>Ahsoka’s smile gave way to an intent frown. “I want some answers, Obi-Wan.”</p><p>He turned his back to her and set to making himself some tea. It looked like they had found the hot chocolate Luke loved so much. "What kind of answers?"</p><p>Ahsoka leaned against the table, arms folded, and waited until he had poured two fresh cups of tea. He offered her a cup of one, but she shook her head. There would be no distracting her, he remembered that focus from her apprenticeship, and whatever life she had lived since seemed to have only honed that trait. She had grown up quickly during the war, but she had forged an entirely new life, one he knew nothing about. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. “First off, is Luke all right?” she asked. </p><p>“Luke is..." The boy was asleep. Uneasy, but asleep. Ben gritted his teeth. "He is as well as can be expected." </p><p>“Bail told me—“ Ahsoka sighed and gestured with one hand. “Well, he <em>implied</em> that Luke was your son. But Luke calls Vader father. So which is it?”</p><p>He sank into a seat at the table and held his teacup in both hands, watching the steam curl off the dark liquid and carry the familiar aroma. It should have been comforting, but he was too tired for it to take much effect, and Ahsoka would wait until sunup for an answer. He sighed. “Bail told you the truth… from a certain point of view. I have raised Luke for the past decade or so, but Luke is Vader’s son by blood. I was hiding with the boy in the Outer Rim trying to avoid the Empire’s attention when Vader discovered us and brought us here.” He didn’t want to talk about Mustafar, any version of it, not ever. He wasn’t sure he could. He shrugged instead. “Vader is an erratic presence at best. Luke needed stability, which is why Vader’s let me live so long, but I prefer to think of myself as an... eccentric uncle.” </p><p>Ahsoka grinned wryly, but it faded the next moment. “So you’ve just been here biding your time for the past decade? I know you're patient, but that's a long time.” </p><p>He pushed the comfortless tea away. “It wasn’t that simple. I had to think about Luke’s safety, about his well being.”</p><p>“And staying here was safer?” She was watching him with something unreadable in her face, not sharp enough to suspicion, not cold enough to be anger. Worry maybe. </p><p>“You must understand--I've tried to escape before. It didn’t exactly end well.” </p><p>Her gaze flicked to the faded burn scar at the back of his neck, and an angry line furrowed her brow. “You didn’t have help before. I’m here now, and I’m not leaving without you.” </p><p>He raised a hand to pull her attention back to him, away from her anger with Vader. They couldn’t afford for either of them to make a rash move. “Unfortunately, since the Force has seen fit to remove our exit, this is all a moot discussion unless we can find another way out.” </p><p>***</p><p>They discussed alternatives well into the night--disabling the ray shield, sneaking out in stolen trooper armor, finding a way to contact Bail, simply waiting for the Force to open another door. With every suggestion they discounted, Ahsoka watched Obi-Wan deflate slowly until he was leaned forward with his elbows on the table. The fight she'd always known him to have was nearly gone. Now he just seemed resigned, and she wondered how much of the old Jedi she'd known had died with Anakin Skywalker. She wanted to ask if he had seen Anakin before the end, if he knew how Anakin had died, but she didn't know if he could bear to answer her.</p><p>Obi-Wan sighed deeply and shook her from her thoughts. “You and Leia cannot stay here, Ahsoka. If we find a way out—“</p><p>“Then we’re all getting out. I have friends who can help hide you and Luke somewhere Vader will never find you.” </p><p>“Like Bail?” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Like the rebellion?” </p><p>She nodded slowly. She’d changed a lot over the years, and she wasn’t sure how much this new Obi-Wan would approve of what she’d done. At least Anakin would have been proud. “How much do you know about the rebellion?”</p><p>“Inference mostly. Heavily censored news. Vader's complaints about the trouble he deals with as the Emperor’s enforcer.” </p><p>“Well, that's his own fault." Ahsoka snorted. "A few years ago, he started loosing captured rebels to hunt down. We think it's some sort of intimidation tactic, but lucky for us, most of them get away. Even Vader slips up. Force, if it comes down to it, you and I could take him head on. Give Luke and Leia time to get to Bail and maybe put an end to Vader once and for all.” </p><p>Obi-Wan stared at her, stunned. Ahsoka raised a hand in a reassuring gesture, but his gaze went distant, and Ahsoka’s heart sank. “Master?”</p><p>She pulled the cup from his hands and reached for his arm, but he inhaled sharply and shook his head. ”I’m fine.” </p><p>“Obviously not. What is it?” </p><p>He moved to his feet, teacup clutched in his fist as he went to the little sink basin against the wall. The years showed in his face, around his eyes, and in the weariness of his shoulder. She didn’t want him to go distant again, but they couldn’t afford to be keeping secrets, not now. “You’re hiding something. Obi-Wan, I want to trust you, but I need you to trust me too. What aren't you telling me?” </p><p>He ran a hand over his face and sighed so deeply it made his entire body shudder. “Vader was a Jedi.”</p><p>Ahsoka shut her eyes. A Jedi. Every time she thought she understood how badly they had been betrayed, it got worse. “Who?”</p><p>Obi-Wan set the teacup in the little sink basin then gripped the edge of the counter so tight his knuckles went white. </p><p>Finally, he murmured, “You wouldn’t know him. I don’t know that any of us did.”</p><p>Ahsoka sighed. That at least was a relief. Straightening, she crossed to his side and laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s going to be all right, master. We’re all going to make it out of here.” </p><p>He gave her a weary smile back and put his hand over hers. “I am glad to see you, Ahsoka. Anakin... he would have been proud of you.” </p><p>She pulled him into a hug, and the two of them stood in silence for a long time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't even have an excuse for how late this is. So thank you for your patience!!</p><p>I've also updated the tags to reflect Ahsoka's involvement and Vader just generally not being a good parent until he decides Luke is more important than the Dark Side.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. A Fistful of Nettles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Grasp the nettle - "To approach or begin a difficult or unpleasant task"</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben rose early from where he’d slept—albeit fitfully—in front of the door. He rolled up the blanket and left it on the table with a flimsi note to Ahsoka that he would return soon. After some arguing, Ahsoka had agreed to take his room while Leia slept in Luke’s, and he had slept in front of the entrance. Not that he could slow Vader down for long, but it was better than nothing. Now he saw no need to wake either of them. He made his way through the dim garden all grey-blue with early morning light, and the family of birds that lived in the willow was already singing.</p><p>He moved past them and up to the quiet house. It watched him as he approached, its lightless face scowling down at him as he climbed the hill, the hard lines of it exaggerated in the early morning shadows. He disliked the house, and it disliked him in turn, with all the malevolence a Sith’s impermanent home could muster.</p><p>Ben stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind him. On the sofa facing the window lay Luke curled around his toy bantha with a blanket draped over him. Ben could guess why the boy wasn't in his own room. Always caught in-between was no place for a youngling.</p><p>A few more hours of sleep in a proper bed would do him good. Ben moved to gather the boy up, blanket, bantha, and all, but Luke stirred and yawned.</p><p>“Ben?”</p><p>He paused. “Good morning, youngling."</p><p>Luke scrubbed at his eyes with one hand. “Hi, Ben."</p><p>"Did you sleep well?"</p><p>He opened and shut his mouth then shook his head. "Is Le—“ He stopped himself then craned his neck to peer over the sofa at the shadowed stairs, but Vader would be in bacta for a few more hours, and his presence upstairs had the muted quality of unconsciousness. Luke sighed and turned back to the gardener. “Is everything okay?”</p><p>“For now.”</p><p>“Oh. That’s good.” He looked down at his bantha and rubbed its worn ear, and disquiet murmured in the Force like a discordant note.</p><p>“Would you like to talk about what is upsetting you?”</p><p>Luke reached for Ben’s hand then drew back and held his toy with both arms instead. “I had the bad house dream again last night. I couldn’t find you or Father or Leia.”</p><p>Ben nodded. Unfortunately, this dream was familiar--Luke finding himself in a house that was the wrong shape, somehow too hot and too cold at the same time. Alone. </p><p>“Leia is angry.”</p><p>Ah. They were getting closer to the truth. Not quite to the heart of it, but closer. Ben crouched to put his head lower than Luke's. “Leia is upset and frightened, but she cares for you a great deal.”</p><p>“Father was angry last night too. He left.” Luke’s face crumpled in distress. “I don’t want everybody to leave. I don’t want to be here all alone.”</p><p>There it was. The familiar fear that had plagued the boy all his short life.</p><p>“You are not alone.”</p><p>“But it’s my fault. If I wasn’t here, Leia wouldn't have come looking for me, and nobody would be in trouble—“</p><p>“Do not say such things.” He held Luke’s hand tight. “I am glad that you are here, and so are your friends. You are not to blame for any of this."</p><p>Luke shut his eyes tight, the Force tremoring around him, and he leaned to rest his forehead on Ben’s shoulder. The gardener patted his back.</p><p>“Come. Let's go for a walk."</p><p>***</p><p>Vader came slowly to consciousness. The room that held his tank was dim, the blackout shades drawn and fastened, and the sundry medical equipment sat patiently in the dark.</p><p>More from habit than conscious decision, he reached for Luke and felt the boy’s presence nearby. He had grown… brighter since last Vader had seen him. That was good. And troubling. Luke was safe, hidden away with Obi-Wan to shield him, but the emperor was ever watchful for new threats, and if he ever found—</p><p>Vader roused himself to full wakefulness and reached for the medical droid with the Force. H2-1B4 whirred to life and began the preparations for the day.</p><p>Prosthetics he had built himself first. He consumed a nutrient pack then donned what Luke called his “house clothes”—the same suit he usually wore but without the cape or the armor plating and with a softer black tabard over the top. Still black, still sealed against the harsh outer world of bacteria and dirt that could wreak havoc on his immune system and steal valuable time away from Luke. Once he was ready, B4 removed his mask. After a painful squeeze in his chest, his mechanical lungs took over.</p><p>The entire process took approximately twenty minutes. Aboard the <em>Executor</em> or in his castle on Mustafar, he could be fully suited in as little as two minutes in emergencies, but it was less painful to take his time, and he did not wish to broadcast his pain.</p><p>B4 secured Vader’s bracer full of switches and life support readouts that normally sat on a control panel on his chest. He flexed his wrist, and the mechanical hand whirred. He considered forgoing the helmet but ended up tucking it under his arm.</p><p>It was time.</p><p>He went to Luke’s room and knocked. Silence. “Luke?”</p><p>When there was no answer, Vader opened the door and stepped inside. The bedroom was empty and dim, the bed carefully made with no one in it. The bantha toy was gone.</p><p>Vader swung around. The curtains over her portrait were drawn, and she smiled faintly. Even now he could not bear it. He looked away, waved a hand, and the curtains slid back into place.</p><p>Gripping his helmet, Vader made his way out of the bedroom and downstairs where he found the first dawn light coming over the garden walls and into the windows. It was not so bright yet that it hurt his eyes, but he winced instinctively.</p><p>The first floor was still.</p><p>He paused by the long dining table and surveyed the quiet space. He had expected to see his son and Obi-Wan, perhaps finishing breakfast or working on Luke’s schoolwork, but there was no one. He moved to the living room. A carefully folded blanket and a stuffed bantha sat on the end of the sofa. Vader stared down at the items. Why were they down here? Luke must have come down from his room, but why? Vader held his helmet tighter. He could sense them nearby. Where were they?</p><p>There were birds singing outside. That damn bird. He spun around and stalked to the windows.</p><p>He shoved his helmet on and threw open the door, and the glass pane quivered.</p><p>At the bottom of the hill was Luke, still in his pajamas, walking with Obi-Wan in the early morning grey of the garden.</p><p>All was still well. Vader paused on the threshold and loosened his fists.</p><p>The two walked on, in some deep discussion. Obi-Wan was focused on Luke, but Vader knew the other man had detected his presence. The Jedi put a hand on Luke’s shoulder and smiled, and the boy beamed. The two of them stopped, then Luke turned to face the house and waved his head in invitation. Vader folded his arms and waited. He did not like feeling like an intruder in his own house, but he waited.</p><p>When it was clear his father would not join them, Luke turned back to Obi-Wan, who laid his hands on the boy’s shoulders. Something unspoken passed between them, and Luke nodded once. Then he ran back up the hill and stopped, his bare feet in the grass, barely winded. When he grinned, his face was almost rosy. “Good morning, Father.”</p><p>All was forgiven then. The fist in Vader’s chest relaxed slightly. “Good morning, my son. What are you doing in the garden so early?”</p><p>“Going on a walk with Ben.”</p><p>There was something Luke was not saying, something elusive.</p><p>“Are you well?”</p><p>Luke flushed. “I had a bad dream.”</p><p>“I see.”</p><p>“I’m better now though.” Luke looked over his shoulder at Obi-Wan, who had climbed the hill and stood a few feet away.</p><p>The boy offered his hand to Vader. “What do you want to do today, Father?”</p><p>Instead, Vader turned and took a few steps back into the house then waited for Luke to follow. “I think you should choose today.”</p><p>A quiet tension hung in the air, and Obi-Wan folded his arms. Luke must have informed him that Vader had lost his temper, and while Luke was quick to forgive, Obi-Wan had a much longer memory. They had had this argument many times before, and every time Obi-Wan was disappointed, and sometimes Vader was sorry. Luke looked back at the Jedi then to Vader. “Will you take me flying?”</p><p>“Did I not say I would take you flying yesterday?”</p><p>Luke stepped inside and slipped his hand into Vader’s. “Can we go now? I want to see the sun on the lake like we did last time.”</p><p>“Very well.”</p><p>“I’ll be right back.” Luke gathered the blanket and the toy off the sofa and ran upstairs.</p><p>***</p><p>Luke changed and threw his pajamas into the hamper for the laundry droid. He could hear Father and Ben having one of their not-arguments downstairs, just bits and pieces that floated up. Was Ben irritating Father on purpose so he wouldn't notice their friends?</p><p>“...put him up to it. I am not the only one to blame.”</p><p>“I don’t need to put Luke up to anything…”</p><p>Luke leaned across his bed and tucked his bantha between the pillows. He had to get back downstairs before Father noticed Leia or Ahsoka. Leia was more muted than usual--Ben said he and Ahsoka were shielding her--but she was so very bright, always at the back of his mind. She was still a little mad at him. He could write a her a note. Apologize. Yes. It was something like what spies did, and Leia liked spies. He ran to his desk and began writing a note.</p><p>“How long…”</p><p>A long pause. Luke signed his name on the letter, tucked it into his sleeve, and ran to the closet to get his boots on. Getting Father to take him flying had been his very own idea. It would keep Father busy and away from the house while Ben got their visitors out of the house… somehow. Ben hadn’t liked it. His mouth had turned down a little, and the Force had gotten still, but he had called Luke very brave and asked him to be careful.</p><p>Father’s voice rumbled up the stairs. “I am.... uncertain.”</p><p>Socks on, Luke scrambled to sit in the doorway so he could hear better and wrestled on his boots.</p><p>“The emperor has not been pleased of late… last mission was...”</p><p>Luke grimaced at the mention of the emperor. The stillness in the Force rippled as Ben said, “Luke--”</p><p>“Is safe. He... cannot afford to replace me...”</p><p>Luke scrambled to his feet and stomped twice to make sure his boots were on. Then he sprinted to the top of the stairs and caught himself on the banister. “I’m ready!”</p><p>Both men turned to look at him. Vader stood in the center of the living room while Ben stood near the garden door, arms folded. Luke careened down the stairs. “Can we go now? Please?”</p><p>“As you wish.”</p><p>Luke ran to Ben for a hug. "I'll be back soon."</p><p>The gardener looked a little surprised but patted Luke on the head. "Be careful. Be good." He didn't react when Luke pushed the flimsi note into his hand. </p><p>"I will."</p><p>"Are you ready?" asked Father. </p><p>"Yes, sir." Luke went to his father and took his hand. "I'm ready."</p><p>Ben returned to the garden. He was not supposed to be inside when the front door was opened. When he was gone,  Luke stood patiently beside his father while the heavy metal front door groaned unlocked and slid open. The front door of the house locked to a little hallway—like an airlock—that locked to the wall that surrounded the grounds. It was for extra security, but the buzzing the ray shield made against the roof made his ears hurt. He glanced up at his father. Because of the bright light and the germs and the everybody looking, Father had to wear all his armor and his helmet outside.</p><p>The door ground to a stop, and Father strode outside with Luke close at his heels. There were a big landing pad and a little garrison building a little way down the hill. Past them was another shorter wall. Past that was the wide river that slid lazily by. Other manors dotted the riverbank, but they were spread out like strange mushrooms pretending their roots didn’t touch. The troopers in their white armor stood at attention around the edge of the platform, watching, so Luke stayed close to his father’s side. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the troopers. He just wasn’t sure they liked him.</p><p>Besides, Ben had told him to be careful and to be good. Sometimes it was very hard to be both at the same time, but he would try even if he hated people looking at him. If they were going to leave, there might be a great many people looking at him. Maybe he would ask for a helmet for his birthday instead of the holo books so he could hide too.</p><p>Father stopped short, and Luke ran into his leg with a grunt.</p><p>The TIE with the bent wings sat on the landing pad, all ready for take-off. Leia had called his model broken. She would want to know why the wings were like that. He pointed. “Why are the wings bent like that?</p><p>Father paused. “It is a prototype. It is faster than other TIE fighters like it.”</p><p>Then Father picked him up and jumped, and they were atop the ship. Luke climbed down the open hatch first then his father came after him and pulled the hatch shut. Once Father was seated with Luke securely on his lap, he pointed to the control panel and its dozens of switches and blinking lights. “Do you remember how to start it?”</p><p>Luke frowned at the sea of fine-tuned controls all alike on their surface. It was not quite the same as the flight simulator on his datapad, but it looked close. “I think so.”</p><p>“Try, and I will help you.”</p><p>“Ben says there is no try,” he said without thinking.</p><p>“Obi-Wan is not here.” The Force rippled with annoyance but not anger, and Father flipped back the covers on a row of switches. “So try.”</p><p>***</p><p>Leia was just about sick of waiting. General Kenobi had been gone when she and Ahsoka woke up, and now they were stuck waiting in the little reed hut. Ahsoka paced, probably making a plan. Rebels always had plans. Leia dug through Luke’s bag and found the old commlink from his secrets box. It might not even work, it had sat beneath the floorboards for so long, but it might help them get home. She had lots of comm frequencies memorized—Mama’s, Papa’s, Matias the head of security, Elisa the head of Mama’s staff. If she could get one of them to answer--</p><p>The terrible scream of a TIE fighter shrieked overhead. The walls rustled, the table rattled, the pottery in the cabinet clattered. Leia's whole body shook with the sound, and clapped her hands over her ears and huddled up in a ball. Then the sound was gone, already far away.</p><p>Her heart hammered in her chest. What was that? Why was there a TIE flying over the house? She looked up at Ahsoka, but the rebel was already at the window, peering out a slim crack in the paper shades.</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>“I don’t know.” Ahsoka made a stay back gesture, but Leia leaned to peek out the window too.</p><p>The door opened, and Ahsoka swept Leia behind her like it was second nature. But instead of Darth Vader, General Kenobi ducked inside, and Ahsoka relaxed. But he was alone. </p><p>“Where’s Luke?” Leia demanded.</p><p>“He is all right. He asked me to give you this." He held out the flimsi. Leia snatched it out of his hand and unfolded it. On the paper was what looked like a field of stars with many points, and under them was a hasty message:</p><p>
  <em>I am sorry I did not tell the truth. I did not mean to make you sad.</em>
</p><p>She flipped the page over and on the back were more careful letters.</p><p>
  <em>I will come back.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*slides this chapter across the table as a present* congrats on making it through 2020, all. </p><p>A little bit of a breather before everything hits the fan in earnest.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Uprooted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's only a heist if you leave with both arms full.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leia crouched behind the couch with Ahsoka, holding Luke’s bag. </p>
<p>Ahsoka’s white lightsabers didn’t work on the walls because of the ray shield. They couldn’t go over the wall because of the shield. They couldn’t disable the shield generator without going over the wall.</p>
<p>Ahsoka and the general had talked about digging out for a bit but apparently, he had already thought of that a few times. They were too close to the lake, and tunneling deep enough to get under the wall and avoid the troopers would make the tunnel fill all up with mud and water. </p>
<p>And they didn’t have very long before Luke and Vader came back. </p>
<p>Leia gripped Luke's bag a little tighter. She could feel his river rock humming in the bag, somehow. Somehow, it made her just a little less afraid. </p>
<p>They had to disable the ray shield, which was why General Kenobi was standing in front of the big front door that led to the outside, his hands resting on a levitating black box he’d gotten from a storage room. He and Ahsoka had argued about this plan for a long time, close to ten whole minutes. Discussed, Mama would call it. It was more diplomatic, and spies and princesses had to be diplomatic so they could be mean when it mattered. </p>
<p>General Kenobi would use Luke's old commlink to disable the generator. It couldn't call anyone with the ray shield up--Leia had tried every frequency she knew, and Ahsoka had tried more--but it held enough charge to short out the generator's circuits. Ahsoka would make a distraction for the troopers, and then she and Leia would jump over the wall and run like spooked nerfs all the way home.</p>
<p>Leia had expected the plan to be a little more complicated, with more explosions maybe, but she had never done this before, and it seemed like both the adults had done it lots of times. She gripped the bag tighter.</p>
<p>General Kenobi looked over his shoulder. “Alright. Is everyone ready?” </p>
<p>Ahsoka looked down at Leia. "Ready." </p>
<p>He pressed the intercom button. It buzzed, and a voice answered back. “This is security, over.”</p>
<p>“Yes, I have some defective equipment here Lord Vader wanted disposed of.”</p>
<p>A beat of silence. Then, “There’s no garbage disposal scheduled for today. Lord Vader did not inform us of the anomaly, over.”</p>
<p>“You probably noticed he was preoccupied this morning, but he does want this disposed of today. Call him and confirm it if it will put your mind at ease.”</p>
<p>Leia craned her head to look back at Ahsoka, who put her finger over her lips. </p>
<p>The stormtrooper’s voice crackled back. “Stand away from the door, over.” </p>
<p>The general backed up a few paces, and the door beeped and made a terrible grinding noise as it rolled into the wall. Leia covered her ears, and Ahsoka put a steadying hand on her shoulder. Two stormtroopers came into the living room, and General Kenobi raised his hands casually. “Would you like some help?”</p>
<p>“Sir, please stay where you are.” </p>
<p>“Oh, it’s no trouble.” His voice went strange like there was something extra in it. “You’re tired.” </p>
<p>“I... am tired.”</p>
<p>Leia’s eyelids dropped, but Ahsoka’s hand steadied her, and the fog in her head dissipated, but the troopers didn’t have the help. Both crumpled to the ground in a heap.</p>
<p>How did he do that? Leia looked to Ahsoka for an answer, but the Jedi got to her feet and gestured to the unconscious soldiers. “A little heavy on the suggestion, don’t you think?”</p>
<p>“I’ll admit I’m a little out of practice.” He crouched and methodically stripped the armor from one of the troopers, leaving the human in his blacks. While he donned the armor, Ahsoka bound and blindfolded the armorless trooper with a set of spare sheets then shoved him into the hall closet and punched the lock so it broke and sparked.</p>
<p>Leia pointed to the box. “Why can’t we hide in there and sneak out like that?”</p>
<p>“Excellent question, Leia. Unfortunately, Vader thought I might try something like that. There is a bio scanner in the exit that would notice two living beings in a box supposedly full of old machines.”</p>
<p>“And we don’t exactly have any carbonite on hand.” Ahsoka rolled her shoulders. “You’re sure you want to do this?”</p>
<p>General Kenobi slid on the helmet and stood straight, imitating the stiff military posture a little too well. “How do I look?”</p>
<p>Ahsoka smirked and crossed her arms. “Like you won’t be able to shoot straight. Good luck.”</p>
<p>There was some kind of inside joke here, something Leia didn’t understand. She hated being left out of things, hated it with all her small body, but there was something sad too. She would have to remember to talk to Luke about it later when she saw him again. She would see him again. </p>
<p>Then Ahsoka shepherded her back to their hiding place, and General Kenobi roused the remaining trooper. The man sat up with a groan. “Ugh. What happened?”</p>
<p>“You fainted,” the general said in a passable Alderaan accent. How was he doing that? “I think you should go to the medic and get your head looked at.” </p>
<p>“Where… where’d the old man go?”</p>
<p>“Outside. Was worried you’d think he’d hit you over the bucket and report him.” </p>
<p>With a groan, the trooper rocked to his feet. “Feel like he did. Do you think there’s something wrong with me?”</p>
<p>“Most likely.”</p>
<p>He and the disguised general exited out the front door, and it ground closed and locked behind them with a definite thud. </p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Luke had no difficulty getting the ship started, but he required some assistance getting it airborne without clipping any of the nearby buildings or trees. Once they were in the air, Vader turned the controls over to his son, and Luke sat on his father’s knee and guided them up into the atmosphere to drive in circles and loops outside of Aldera’s busy airspace. </p>
<p>His talent was apparent, and Vader did not try to suppress the surge of pride he felt as Luke guided the ship out of a long maneuver. His son would make a magnificent pilot one day, perhaps the best. Soon Luke would fly his own ship, and the two of them would fly side by side. Another TIE fighter, perhaps at the head of his own squadron. It was dangerous to dream of the future when dreams often turned to nightmares, but there was a place for Luke in the empire. Not as a Sith or an assassin, but somewhere else, even if Vader had to carve it with his own lightsaber. Somewhere--Luke reached for switches above and to the left of him, but his arms were not long enough to reach, so Vader leaned out of his daydream and pointed to them. "Which one, my son?"</p>
<p>Luke frowned. “The second one, please.”</p>
<p>Vader flipped the indicated switch, and the readings on the control panel shifted ever so slightly. </p>
<p>Vader smiled. “Well done, Luke. Bring us down out of the clouds a little, and we will do a lap around the lake.”</p>
<p>His son beamed. “Okay.” </p>
<p>Luke nudged the TIE down a little way and adjusted the fuel injection to compensate for the wind, and Vader watched with pride. His son was a natural pilot. </p>
<p>“When we get home, can we work on my droid? I want it to help Ben around the house--" Luke clapped his mouth shut. </p>
<p>Vader sighed and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "That would be fine, Luke."</p>
<p>"Really?" He perked up. "I read the manuals you left me and everything, and I think I can do the soldering without burning my fingers this time." </p>
<p>"Good. But focus on what you are doing and where you are now."</p>
<p>Luke gasped and pulled up on the controls, leveling out the TIE's slight dip, and he laughed. </p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Ahsoka led Leia out of the house, picked her up, and jumped onto the roof. The ray shield was hardly noticeable on the ground, but up here, the drone made her montrals hurt. </p>
<p>They laid down on the roof, out of sight of the sentries posted on the far outer wall near the lake. Leia might not have been a rebel operative, but she was smart and more than a little Force sensitive. From what Queen Organa had said, it sounded like being around Luke and Ben had only brought that skill to the forefront. </p>
<p>Ahsoka peaked over the roof's edge and identified Obi-Wan a moment later. He and the other trooper walked the garbage bin to a drop-off point, then Obi-Wan put a hand on the man's shoulder and sent him away. Then he fell into step behind a small patrol and followed them around the outer yard until they passed the shield generator, where he broke off and took cover. The generator lay in direct sight of the sentries atop the wall, and every time he was just about to break for the machine, one of the troopers looked his way. </p>
<p>The TIE shrieked in the distance. Leia grimaced. "Do you think Luke's okay?"</p>
<p>"I'm sure he's fine."</p>
<p>"I don't want to leave him."</p>
<p>"Don't worry. We'll come back for him." </p>
<p>Leia didn't look convinced. "I don't think the general will leave without him." </p>
<p>The TIE shrieked again, and Ahsoka spared a glance up the mountainside. The ship banked, circling in no direction in particular, but its aimlessness didn't comfort her. </p>
<p>They were running out of time.</p>
<p>They needed a distraction. </p>
<p>Ahsoka focused on the communications' array on the other side of camp and reached out with the Force. The array dish shuddered. One trooper noticed then another then the whole garrison was watching the array spark. </p>
<p>With the troopers distracted, Obi-Wan darted to the generator and disappeared out of sight. Leia grabbed Ahsoka's arm, more anxiety rolling off her than such a small frame should have been able to hold. </p>
<p>The ray shield flickered. </p>
<p>Leia in her arms, Ahsoka leaped from the roof and ran to the garden wall. </p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Leia skidded to a stop beside the wall. The ray shield was back, humming ever so faintly. She bounced anxiously in place. If she reached out to Luke, would he hear her? She tried to remember what her dream had felt like, when she had held Luke's hand across a whole mountainside. The stone in the bag grew warm, and she thought she could almost feel his hand in hers. The the stone grew cool again and turned icy as something else reached for her like an icy hand in her head. She flinched. </p>
<p>Ahsoka's voice cut into her thoughts. "Leia. Stop!"</p>
<p>The bag slipped from her hand, and the cold vanished. She blinked and looked up. "What?"</p>
<p>"Don't. If Luke can sense you, so can Vader."</p>
<p>Leia inhaled to argue, but she realized the sky looked different in the corner of her eye, and when she looked up, the shield was gone. Before she could look to Ahsoka to celebrate, a quiet thud caught her attention. </p>
<p>Near the wall, a stormtrooper crouched amid some bushes and rose to his feet. Leia almost screamed, but the trespasser pulled off his helmet to reveal General Kenobi’s face. </p>
<p>Ahsoka exhaled. “I take it the shield generator’s down.”</p>
<p>“I set it to intermittent failures. As long as Vader doesn’t inspect it himself, it will look like the generator simply malfunctioned. The next outage should be in a few moments.” </p>
<p>Ahsoka crouched, and Leia, already familiar with the Jedi jumping with passengers arrangement, picked up Luke's bag again, looped her arms around the Togruta's neck, and held on tight. “Are we going to run all the way home?”</p>
<p>“We'll have to. Obi-Wan, are you ready?” </p>
<p>The general's face was blank, but the Force rippled then went still. "This entire plan hinges on my being here when Vader returns <em>with Luke</em>. Vader will be gone in a week, and you can come back for us both once he is out of the way."</p>
<p>Ahsoka stood. "I am not leaving without you. I will come back for Luke with an army."</p>
<p>"The shield is down." The general gestured to the sky. "Every second you spend arguing with me is a second closer to Leia being discovered. Leave. Now."</p>
<p>"No. Anakin wouldn't have left you here."</p>
<p>Fury flashed in eyes. "<em>Anakin</em>?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Anakin. He would have killed Vader when he got the chance and gotten you both out of here already."</p>
<p>"You have <em>no idea<em> what you are talking about. This is his--"</em></em></p>
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<p>In one motion, Ahsoka dropped Leia to the ground and punched General Kenobi in the face. He stood frozen for a moment, a look of disbelief on his face. Then his knees buckled, and the rest of his body followed, crumpling to a heap on the ground. </p>
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<p>Leia stared in open-mouthed horror. Ahsoka stood still her fist hovering in the air as she stared at the unconscious general. Then she swore, dragged the general over one shoulder, and gestured to Leia. "Come on, we have to go."</p>
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<p>"You punched him!"</p>
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<p>"I know. But he's not thinking clearly, and we have to go." She picked up Leia, who caught hold of Ahsoka's white dress and held on as tight as she could. </p>
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<p>"What about Luke? We can't leave without Luke."</p>
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<p>"I will come back for him, Leia, I swear. But I am not leaving without you or Obi-Wan."</p>
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<p>Leia reached for Luke in the Force to warn him, to say she was sorry, to <em>something</em>, but Ahsoka leaped. Air rushed in Leia's ears, and they were over the garden wall and the wide-open mountainside beyond. </p>
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<p>Ahsoka let Leia to the ground. “Now we have to run. Stay close to me, and everything will be all right.” </p>
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<p>***</p>
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<p>Luke trailed off mid-sentence.</p>
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<p>“Luke?” Vader put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “What is wrong?”</p>
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<p>The Force rippled, and there was something...something elusive... Vader reached for it, but Luke wrenched the controls hard left, throwing the Sith against the ship wall and sliding Luke off his lap.</p>
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<p>The TIE dipped forward. Vader wrenched himself back into his seat. "What was that?"</p>
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<p>But Luke was deathly pale and didn't answer. The TIE continued to lose altitude, and the warning signals began to flash, but he didn’t pull the ship’s nose back on course. Instead, he craned his neck to look at Vader out of the corner of one wide eye. “Don’t be angry. Please.” </p>
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<p>“Angry? What is going—"  </p>
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<p>Luke sighed and slumped forward, knocking the controls forward and driving the ship into a nosedive. Vader caught his son before his head cracked against the control panel. </p>
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<p>“Luke? Luke!”</p>
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<p>The TIE blared and flashed as they hurtled toward the ground. Vader tucked Luke under one arm and seized the controls, fighting the ship out of its eager reunion with the ground. He was losing.</p>
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<p>The ground rushed closer, closer in one endless smear of green out the viewport. Every system shrieked in warning, and he dragged the nose of the ship up and skimmed the grass. The Force screamed a warning louder than any of the ship’s alarm, and he wrenched the ship left. The TIE’s wing skimmed the ground. It caught. The entire ship swung after it and met the ground in a violent rush of fire and snapping metal as the TIE rolled end over end over end.  </p>
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<p>Vader abandoned the controls. He caught Luke in his arms and curled around his son as the ship hurled itself across the mountainside.</p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Almost called this chapter "Garden Leave" but that felt too on the nose after an accidental hiatus. Sorry for the hiatus; things continue to happen. What the hell. </p>
<p>I have a pretty good outline of the next few chapters, and we are about 2/3rds of the way through give or take. (But she was only guesstimating, as fic writers are wont to do.)</p>
<p>Thank you for all the lovely comments and kudos while I was away!! I will try to respond soon &lt;3 &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Garden-Variety Trouble</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Trouble comes to the Organa house.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leia ran after Ahsoka, short arms and legs going like pistons to keep pace with the tall woman. How was Ahsoka moving so fast with a grown-up man over her shoulders?</p>
<p>They left the path and turned up the grassy slope. Something was reaching for her, all talons and sharp thorns, and she ran her hands down her arms to shake the feeling away. It was like goosebumps but the way metal scraping on metal sounded.</p>
<p>Ahsoka frowned. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll be out in--”</p>
<p>The ground lurched under Leia’s feet, and she doubled over and threw up everything she’d ever eaten in her life. Her head spun, and her whole body hurt. She was falling. Luke was falling, and they were going to die. They were tumbling over and over and over each other, and she couldn’t let go of him because she couldn’t tell where he ended and she started. Bright and dark and bright and dark over and over.</p>
<p>She blinked. An endless smear of sky stretched above over, and she was flat on her back, tears trickling from her eyes. Oh. Had she fallen?</p>
<p>Somebody was talking to her. She blinked and Ahsoka was crouched over her. “Leia? You’re okay, kid. Deep breaths.”</p>
<p>She reached out Luke’s hand--no, her hand. “Did I fall?”</p>
<p>“Slipped a bit. But we have to keep moving. Can you stand up?”</p>
<p>Leia sat up. Her head spun a little, but it was just her head now. The hurtling terror was gone now, and she couldn’t feel Luke in her head anymore, and the more she thought about it, the fuzzier the memory became like it had never happened at all.</p>
<p>Ahsoka helped her to her feet. Leia swayed but stayed standing. She wiped at her mouth with her sleeve in a very unprincesslike move. Well, Luke’s sleeve. Part of her disguise in case Vader had spied her. She’d have to wash it before she gave it back.</p>
<p>“What was that?”</p>
<p>“The Force. I can explain more later, but right now we have to keep moving.”</p>
<p>Ahsoka picked General Kenobi off the ground and back onto her shoulders. She was strong, Leia thought. Leia wanted to be strong. She wanted to be strong enough to save Luke, to save everybody.</p>
<p>“Luke’s in trouble. That’s why I feel sick.”</p>
<p>Ahsoka glanced back. “We need to make it back to your parents. Tell me the names of planets, as many as you know.”</p>
<p>“But Luke—“</p>
<p>“Is going to be fine. Now, Coruscant,” Ahsoka said, moving up the mountain slope. “Shili…”</p>
<p>Leia swallowed, and it tasted like bile. “Alderaan… A… Anaxes, Caamas, Chandrila…"</p>
<p>Then they were moving again, and Leia ran.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Something smelled burned. Luke wrinkled his nose and came back to bleary consciousness. His head hurt. <em>Everything</em> hurt.</p>
<p>Something was holding him tight. The familiar hiss of a respirator stuttered then brushed his head. Father. Luke craned his neck to look at his father, who lay still.</p>
<p>They were in the cockpit. Or what was left of it. The remaining control panel dangled from the ceiling and flashed warning lights and sparked, and haze filled the air.</p>
<p>He swallowed, and his throat tasted like smoke and his eyes watered. “Father.”</p>
<p>He pushed at Vader’s arm, but it didn’t move. One of his red lenses was cracked, the control panel on his chest bent. Muffled warning beeping was sounding inside his helmet.</p>
<p>“Father, wake up.”</p>
<p>Father did not wake up.</p>
<p>Luke wriggled free of the vise-like embrace and took a second to catch his breath. With all the smoke, it hurt to breathe. Chunks were missing out of the big viewport, and dirt and grass took up half of it. They must have landed on their side. His side hurt where Father’s prosthetic arm had held tight against his ribs, but the embrace had protected him, kept him from being tossed around even worse. He kicked at the transparisteel, but only a few of the smaller bits came free.</p>
<p>New plan. He exhaled, found Father’s lightsaber, and, carefully, turned it on. The red blade leaped to life, and the sudden light and sound startled him so he almost dropped it. He had only held Father’s lightsaber once and with his help, and Father and Ben had fought about it for days after. The weapon was heavier than he remembered. But this was an emergency. Ben and Father would have to forgive him.</p>
<p>Gingerly Luke cut a lopsided hole in the crumpled side of the TIE fighter and tossed the lightsaber out into the grass. Then he grabbed Father’s arm and heaved, but Father was a big man even without all of his armor. He did not budge. Digging in his heels and calling on the Force, Luke heaved again, but his arms shook, and his head swam. Do or do not. He summoned all his strength and heaved again.</p>
<p>Father did not move.</p>
<p>Luke covered his eyes with his hands, and they burned and watered from all the smoke. “Father, please get up. Father.”</p>
<p>Father did not wake up.</p>
<p>“Ben.” His voice came as a scratchy whisper. “Ben will know what to do.”</p>
<p>Luke stumbled out of the wreckage and a little way down the mountainside. The TIE was smeared across the ground, smoking, burning bits of black and silver debris, and the cockpit lay crumpled like the blackened shell of a sea creature.</p>
<p>At the next step, he slipped in the steep grass and tumbled to a stop. Heart thundering in his ears, he lay up at the sky until the world stopped spinning. It was easier to breathe out here. Father’s respirator would protect him from the smoke for a little while but not forever. He needed to get help. Luke pushed himself back to his feet.</p>
<p>The bent cockpit hull groaned and collapsed in a shower of sparks. Luke gasped and shielded his face from the flames.</p>
<p>Help.</p>
<p>He needed to find help.</p>
<p>Luke turned down the mountainside and began to run, falling and stumbling across the rolling grass.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Two nights. Two nights her daughter had been missing.</p>
<p>Breha rubbed her fingertips, the anxious motion hidden by the folds of her skirts.</p>
<p>Ahsoka had gone in after them, into the gods only knew what, and there had been no sign, no signal.</p>
<p>They had called off the search, told everyone that Leia had found her way home in the wee hours of the morning, taken ill from being out in the cold and the rain, and was now tucked away in her room with Threepio. It was the only thing they could do. It would not do for anyone to know the princess was missing, least of all the Imperials. Not when Leia was where she was.</p>
<p>But keeping up this pretext of normality was nearly impossible, and she stole a glance at Bail where he sat across the room pretending to work as well. He swiped at his datapad twice more, then sighed and rubbed his face. She moved to her feet and to his side, and he laid the datapad aside to take her hands. With a deep sigh, he ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I don’t know how much longer we can afford to wait.”</p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
<p>“How could we not have known Vader lived just over the ridge?”</p>
<p>Because a dozen high-ranking imperials guarded empty houses at the river. Because Vader had kept his secrets well. Because they had every reason to think Luke and Master Kenobi were safe and far, far away.</p>
<p>Somehow none of that made Breha feel better.</p>
<p>Bail’s comm chirped, and he glanced at it with an irritated sigh. “No rest for the--Yes?”</p>
<p>“Papa?” Leia.</p>
<p>Bail lurched to his feet, holding the comm in both hands. “Leia, where are you?”</p>
<p>“I’m in my room.” Leia’s voice crackled over the comm. No, not crackled. She was rasping like she'd been sprinting.</p>
<p>Breha was already out the office door, her husband close behind and overtaking her in a few of his longer strides.</p>
<p>They did not run. Running would only draw attention, but Breha held her husband’s hand firmly in her own as they rounded the last corner, and she could feel his pulse hammering as fast as hers. Then Breha tapped in the access code, and the door hissed open.</p>
<p>“Mama!” Leia threw herself at Breha in a blur, knocking the queen back a pace. “I’m so sorry, I won’t do it again. I won’t, I won’t--”</p>
<p>“It’s all right. You’re all right,” she said, assuring herself as much as Leia as she held her daughter close. Bail was beside them, assuring himself as he shepherded them into the room so the door could close and hide them all from peering eyes.</p>
<p>Leia buried her face in her mother’s side, and Breha pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead, brushed her askew hair. “It’s all right. You’re safe now,” she murmured, already looking up to assure herself that was true.</p>
<p>Fulcrum stood over a settee where General Kenobi was unconscious, while Bail went for the medkit in the desk. The window to the balcony was wide open, and Threepio was fretting away.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Bail demanded. Where is Luke?”</p>
<p>“We had to change the plan.” Fulcrum unfolded her arms. “I’m going back for him.”</p>
<p>“Vader--”</p>
<p>“I’ll take care of Vader.” Something hardened in the rebel’s face. “Obi-Wan isn’t well. Make sure he stays here. As soon as Luke is free, you’ll have to get them off-planet immediately.”</p>
<p>Leia grabbed at Breha’s sleeve. “Mama. Mama, you can’t send them away.”</p>
<p>“It is for their safety, darling--” then to Fulcrum “--we have a safe house prepared. They will be hidden there.”</p>
<p>Bail checked the general’s pulse then opened the med-pack and dug through it, but the Jedi looked like he might be coming around. Then what Fulcrum had said registered. Breha frowned. “You cannot mean to kill Vader,” she said. “It’s not possible.”</p>
<p>“I’ll <em>make </em>it possible.”</p>
<p>Leia held tighter like she was trying to bury herself in Breha’s skirt and vanish. The queen inhaled to retort, to plan, to strategize. She had had quite enough of this headlong running into danger with not even a second thought or contingency plan, but her thought was cut off when General Kenobi gasped and sat bolt upright.</p>
<p>“Master Kenobi.”</p>
<p>He put a hand to his head and about with wide eyes. “Luke. I have to go back for him.” He stood and caught himself on the settee, and Bail lurched to catch his elbow.</p>
<p>“Master Kenobi, you cannot go back--”</p>
<p>“There’s still time. If I can make it back before Vader notices I’m gone--”</p>
<p>“Obi-Wan--”</p>
<p>Fulcrum jumped in. “No one is going back.”</p>
<p>Then she and General Kenobi were shouting at each other, over top of each other. Leia leaned even further into her mother’s skirt, and Breha put her hands on Leia’s shoulders to anchor her against the sudden tumult. After a few more minutes of frankly indecipherable shouting, General Kenobi spun on his heel and moved for the window. Fulcrum leaped into his path, and he stopped short, but his shoulders were squared like he was ready for a fight. </p>
<p>“I swore to protect him. I will not abandon him to his father.” General Kenobi cut the air with both hands. “I cannot.”</p>
<p>"Obi-Wan! Will you listen for once in your life? I am trying to help you!"</p>
<p>"Stop it!" Leia shouted. The lights flickered ever so slightly. "Stop it! Stop!"</p>
<p>The two Jedi turned to look at her with startled expressions. "Leia--"</p>
<p>Breha put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. “She's right. This is not helping anyone. We<em>will</em>get Luke back, and we are going to accomplish it with a<em>plan</em>or I will have you both escorted off planet while Bail and I retrieve Luke ourselves. Now, tell me where Vader is.”</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Once the great door groaned shut behind him, Vader leaned against the wall and took a labored breath. His right lens was cracked and unusable, his right arm badly damaged. He had shut off the warning alarms to keep them from ringing in his ears.</p>
<p>The stormtroopers had dragged him from the TIE wreckage not long after the crash. He could not remember why they had crashed, but it must have been some miscalculation, some mechanical failure. All he remembered was trying to brace Luke against the crash. Luke. His lightsaber had been recovered a little way down the mountainside. His son had not. Vader had threatened and stormed, but the careful search sweeps up and down the mountainside had not found Luke living or--they had not found him.</p>
<p>The dim, rational part of him suggested that Luke could not have made it all the way around the mountain on foot. He was stronger than he had been, but he was still a child. The louder part said Luke was smart. Resourceful. He would have run straight home for help.</p>
<p>Vader pushed himself off the wall, and something flashed in his left lens, gone before he could focus and decipher it. He needed repairs.</p>
<p>No, he needed to find his son.</p>
<p>“Luke,” he shouted.</p>
<p>The house was still. Sunlight filtered through the window, the branches of a tree casting leafy shadows across the living room furniture and up the far wall. Vader lumbered to the stairs, but the upper landing looked dark and unoccupied. Again he called for his son, and again there was no answer.</p>
<p>Obi-Wan. Yes, Luke would have run to Obi-Wan.</p>
<p>Slowly, Vader trudged to the wall of windows and pushed open the sliding door, blinking against the sunlight.</p>
<p>“Obi-Wan,” he called.</p>
<p>The long reeds by the pond bent under a breeze, and the only sound was the wind coming and going. A little bird landed on the grass and chirped. It was half-red and bright. It looked at Vader curiously as if he were the intruder and it could not comprehend his presence.</p>
<p>And in the garden, Vader was alone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't know where my motivation went, but here we are. I have 4-5 more chapters planned for this, so let's see if Breha and Bail can help keep this trainwreck on any sort of rails lol</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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